Little Black Star
by TheyAlwaysUseADagger
Summary: The Grimm Curse is a very different thing. Mina Grimm carries the mark, and she's Fae. On top of that, she's practically been taking care of herself this entire time. Then a mysterious boy arrives, lighting up her devastatingly lonely world and proving hope and help. But can Mina run from her curse? If not, what happens when it catches up? Rated T for violence only. An AU story.
1. Prologue - There's No Avoiding Fate

**Prologue - There's No Avoiding Fate**

 **Hey guys! This fanfiction idea actually came to me after a really weird dream that made absolutely no sense. However, the story idea did, and I really wanted to get it on here! Don't worry, all my other stories on here will be worked on. I know I said Unfairest would be coming next though, and so I apologize that it's not up. It'll come up after I finish one of my other stories though, I promise. c:**

 **This is another AU story, although it does have a Grimm curse. It's just very different from the one in the story, and more information will be given as the story goes. Hopefully you guys like it!**

* * *

She had prayed and prayed and prayed about her firstborn child's gender. She had tried everything known to man that might have some impact on it. Anything she could think of or find was used to find any way to sway it and make it what she desperately needed it to be, because it just had to be a boy. It just had to be.

Fate decided to chose otherwise.

She'd screamed whenever the child was brought into the room, and the gender was revealed. Hearing the news that her newborn baby was a girl was devastating. She left the father to be rushed in and hold his firstborn. She didn't even want to look at the girl.

When Sarah finally did turn to look and touch her child, it was to check her back, slightly beneath the right shoulder blade. And as she feared, there it was. The small, black star of the Grimm curse was on her child. It was marking her, claiming her as its own. It was faint though, inspiring some hope and some fear. It had not been activated, but that was only natural. It was a very low chance of having a newborn have the curse already activated. Perhaps if she was kept a secret and out of harm's way, they would stand a chance at making sure it was never activated.

After perhaps half an hour of bickering back and forth, the weary Sarah Grimm gave in to her husband's arguing. She took the baby in her arm, cradling her there and looking down. Despite her disgust, there was a bit of motherly instinct that wanted to love the child because it was her's. It was hard to ignore that.

"What's her name to be, Sarah?" Her husband titled his head as he asked the question, and she knew it was a silent plea for her to help him, and not leave him to raise the child alone.

"Wilhelmina." She said after a moment. She could see that her husband was slightly relieved, but she also sensed that he was unsure if that was agreeing to help him with their daughter or not. She didn't feel like answering the silent question. Not right then, at least. "Wilhelmina Grimm."

She could feel the air buzz with excitement and tension as she gave a name to the girl. The Fae magic in the space around them seemed to be bubbling eagerly with anticipation for this child to grow, and fall prey to the curse. It was as if it knew that she was different than most children, and that excited it. It wanted her, and badly. Very badly. But while Sarah may not have wanted the girl, she certainly wasn't going to give Wilhelmina to the curse.

No, if the curse wanted to claim her daughter, the curse had better be prepared to fight for its right.

She was six years old when the day finally came for her mother's worst fear to come to life. Sarah had told her husband not to do it. Tree-climbing would be a risk, and ever since Wilhelmina was born Sarah had been keeping her away from that. Her husband had done the odd thing every now and then much to Sarah's horror, but for the most part she won out. This time, she didn't.

"Mina will be fine." Sarah had always hated the way he clipped their daughter's name. She knew their daughter didn't like the name, calling it a mouthful. Sarah had said she would have to live with it. Her father, on the other hand, had found a nickname he and Wilhelmina both liked. "I'll be with her the entire time. She won't fall." He laughed away the arguments Sarah had as if brushing off flies.

He was wrong though.

Wilhelmina had been climbing the tree, and as he followed her, she lost her grip on a branch. They were high. Too high. Sarah could see it happen, flashing before her eyes before it did. She plummeted to the ground like a rock, screaming for her father's help. Her father was too far away though. He lunged, barely missing her hand. And she hit the ground with a thickening thud.

She had fully trusted her father, and it had come with a price. Wilhelmina had always disliked Sarah - her own mother - because of the constant risk-free attitude she had and because after so much time of Sarah not seeming to care for her, she seemed to have given up trying to earn her love. Perhaps, if Sarah had tried harder as a mother to love her child and not just keep the curse at bay, she would have been able to keep it all from happening. But Sarah didn't think of that. How could it be Sarah's fault? She had tried to argue with him about it. He hadn't listened. It would be her father's fault, but she didn't want to blame him. She wanted to blame Wilhelmina. It was her fault, all because she was cursed by that stupid, Fae magic!

Now, a pregnant Sarah was seated on Wilhelmina's bed as the somewhat unconscious child lay in pain and agony. Downstairs, her husband paced. Sarah knew he wanted to come up and see the child. She wouldn't let him though. She knew what was coming. He did too. She supposed rather angrily that that was why he wanted to be up here. He wanted to accept. He knew what was going to happen, and he didn't want Sarah to stop it. But she would. She had gone to far to lose now. She was a fighter, and now the biggest battle so far - and perhaps the final - one was upon her.

She'd heard enough from her husband about this Grimm curse. After marrying, he'd bothered to inform her. Not beforehand. Sarah had a hard time thinking that it was possible he could've only found out after. Perhaps she still held it against him, but at the same time, she loved him. However, that didn't matter. What mattered was the curse. The firstborn child of a Grimm - when it was a girl - was always born with a faded, black star on her back, just a little under the right shoulder blade. She would grow, as most children did, rather normally. And then, one day, it would happen. A serious injury would befall them, an injury that would be fatal, even if for a normal child might not die from it. An injury like falling from a high up spot in a tree. And then the Fae Price himself would come along. He would offer healing for the girl, in exchange for taking her away on her sixteenth birthday night. Not only that, but if a person had been involved in her injury, - only one person could make this case, so if multiple were then the most major one would be considered this - the Prince would ensure with his magic that he or she would not survive for harming his prize, his precious item. Once the girl was healed, the star would no longer be faint. It would look like a fresh, black tattoo after it had healed.

Trembling slightly at her thoughts, Sarah realized all she could do was wait for the Prince to arrive.

Just moments after she thought about him, he arrived. It was in a cloud of black smoke that he appeared in the room. He leaned against the wall so carelessly, as if he owned the place. A black suit with black boots, black gloves, and a black cape to match were his clothing, although his usual silver crown was lacking. Perhaps he didn't like to wear it on the human plane. His black hair was stylishly messy as if to impress girls, although Sarah could see no point in being like that. But his eyes were the catch. His icy chips that he called eyes stood out, as did the pale skin.

"I can help her, you know." His icy blue eyes met Sarah's golden ones, and his confidence met her anger. "I won't harm her."

He wouldn't harm her _yet_. Sarah added that part bitterly in her head. He would bring lots of harm her way later, if she allowed the curse to take its claim on Wilhelmina.

As if on cue with what the Prince said, Wilhelmina groaned in her bed, tossing slightly for a few moments before going still once more. Whether the child was awake or asleep, Sarah didn't know, but she didn't care right then. Instead, she cringed at the noise. This wasn't fair! She had tried everything to stop this!

"No." Finally, Sarah spoke up. "I won't let you have her."

"Pure stubbornness?" He shook his head sadly, like a school teacher that was disappointed in a student's response to scolding. Of course, he probably was disappointed by her answer. Not that he would give up that easily. Fae never did, and him being a Prince only doubled the fact that he would want his way. "I know you don't want a cursed daughter. But I'm offering an escape. You'll have no guilt because if you do this, you won't have let her die on your conscious, but you'll still be rid of her. You may not want her, but _I_ do. If you deny me my right to my claim, that little one," He points one finger at her belly, "will not be safe, boy or girl."

That thought made fear spread through her body, but she refused to show it to him. She would not give him that satisfaction. "N-" Still, she tried to argue.

However, the Fae Prince knew she was yet again about to deny him the right. So, he interrupted to lay down the final card. "Your husband dies either way." That thought made her blood run cold. She wanted to scream every foul thing she knew at this boy, who was waltzing in and ruining everything. But she was frozen by what she was hearing, and even if she didn't want to be hearing, she couldn't bring herself to cover her ears. "I know you are harboring quite a bit of silent hate for your daughter. I can feel it coming off you in waves, and I'm sure Mina," She shuddered at the way the name rolled off his tongue, especially because it was the nickname she hated so much, "can pick up on it too. I'd be quite surprised if she didn't. She's practically a full Fae." His meaning was clear. For all they knew, she was. It all depended on whether or not her half-Fae father passed a Fae gene or a human gene. "If she lives through what the curse will bring, she'll have no reason to ever return to, unless for some reason she absolutely has to. If she dies - as everyone else has before her - then it'll be much more painful than this."

Wilhelmina stiffened, but Sarah payed little attention to her daughter's fear. She was still caught by the one thing the Prince had said.

"My husband will die either way?" There was a whimper in Sarah's voice as the realization finally hit home.

"He caused a cursed Grimm to girl to be injured, so yes. After all, that injury is the thing that activated all of this. All that's left is for you to agree to the curse."

He said it so casually. It stung Sarah's heart, and while her motherly instincts screamed for her to not hand her child over to this beast and let the curse claim her, because she had done so much fighting, the rest of Sarah's ind said otherwise. "She's yours. Do what needs to be done, then go."

The Prince walked over to the bed, smirking at Sarah before he sat beside Wilhelmina. Sarah shuffled over to the edge of the bed and stood up, to get away from the Fae Royal and so that she wouldn't get in the way. More for the former reason though.

"Hello, Mina." The silkiness that entered his voice as he began to talk to her was almost frightening.

"W-Who are you?" The poor girl's voice quivered as she stared up at the Prince's face, but he took on a very pleasant attitude.

"Sh, it's okay. I'm Prince Teague, Mina." His smile looked so natural, but Sarah wasn't fooled. She knew he was trying to make sure the girl didn't see him as a threat. He wanted to make a good impression. "I'm here to help you."

"Hel-Help me?" Her eyes widened a bit. "Your conversation with M-Momma didn't sound li-like helping me."

So Wilhelmina had heard it all. Did she understand it all? Not likely. But some of it? Almost definitely. She was good at putting puzzle pieces together.

"I'm going to heal you. And then a long time from now, I'll visit again and you'll come with me on a little..." He purses his lips as he tries to find a good word to describe the torture she'll go through without telling her that, "adventure."

"Adventures are good." She nods her head, and I stifle my sigh. A reckless fool. That's what my daughter is.

"Good. Am I allowed to heal you?" He asks for her permission so as not to scare her - although I'm sure he'd heal her no matter her answer - and she nods.

He sets a hand to her chest, and her eyes widen as his hand begins to glow black. The healing has begun. There's no turning back now, because now that the Prince has started his healing, the curse has been activated. I have no doubt that if I check her star, it'll no longer be faint. He moves on to her head and neck, then her legs and arms. She doesn't speak, too shocked to see a thing from fairytales that actually exists. But she doesn't know about Fae. Now she will. The healing seemed to take forever, however in reality it only took a few minutes. After the Prince checked over all her injuries and made sure none of the blows she suffered were still there, he stepped back and seemed to approve of his work.

"Take good care of her." There was a silent warning and threat behind that statement, and then he was gone.

A loud thud goes off downstairs, and Mina sat up finally at that, startled. "Momma, what was that?" The fact that that was the first question out of her mouth surprised Sarah, but perhaps she was starting simple out of confusion.

"That was your father, Wilhelmina." She stated the fact bluntly. "He's dead."

Tears streamed down her cheek as she shook her head in denial. "No!" She leaped out of her bed, rushing for the door - all healed, just as the Prince wanted - to get downstairs.

Sarah grabbed her before she could get out of the room, stopping her in her tracks. "No, Wilhelmina."

"I won't believe you! I won't believe you!" Her eyes were scrunched shut as tears flowed down her cheeks, and she kicked her legs as Sarah lifted her into the air.

"Yes, you will!" Sarah screamed at her, and the poor girl jerked away as if she'd been slapped. Sarah had never slapped the girl in her life. She didn't intend to start now. "Wilhelmina Grimm, we are going to pack up our stuff, and we are going to move away. You are going to go to a public school. You are going to do well there. You are going to practice for the torture you will go through after your sixteenth birthday night, and prepare to fight the Grimm curse that will ultimately bring about your death. You are a Siren, and you are going to take this news like one. You won't cry. You will be strong, and you will understand that you are cursed, and that means that I will want as little contact with you as possible. Is that understood?"

And ever intelligent Wilhelmina just nodded her head, although the tears still streaked her cheeks.

"Then go!" Again Sarah shouted, again Mina flinched as if slapped, and then she ran away down the stairs, no doubt to go get comfort from her father.

She won't find comfort there. He was going to be lying there, cold and dead on the ground. There would be no physical sign of death. Anyone who wasn't Fae would look at it and assume he died of a heart attack, or something equally ridiculous. They always seemed to blame stuff on that. And anyone who was Fae would know - or find out - that he was a Grimm, and would manage to connect the dots when they realized Wilhelmina existed.

There's no sadness in her heart. Sarah could only feel anger, and that dulled any pain she felt, or any other emotion for that matter.

* * *

 **Okay, that was actually kind of tough to write! Third person is a hard perspective to write for me, so I'm proud I finished it. The rest of the chapters will be first person, but I felt the prologue should stand out and be a bit different. c:  
**

 **What did you guys think of the story concept so far, and of everything that happened so far? I'm super hyped for this story as I have so many ideas for what I can do. c: Any opinions would be wildly appreciated! I look forward to reading any reviews left!**

 **Speaking of reviews - like every other story - I won't update until at least three reviews are given, so please do review! c:**

 **~ Dagger**


	2. Chapter 1 - Dressed In Gray

**Chapter One - Dressed In Gray  
**

 **Wow guys! I was surprised to see that this had four reviews already, and because it has the most reviews out of all my stories right now, I'm going to update this story first! Yay! I'm really excited for this story!**

 **Evx : I'm glad you like it! I was super excited to think about a completely different Grimm curse, and so the story got me super hyped. And haha, I'm super happy you liked Teague's representation! He's really fun to write. cx**

 **heywassuphelloo : Aw, thank you! Hopefully this update is satisfying (but leaves you wanting more at the same time xD)**

 **09Who knew90 : I'm glad you like it so much! I really hope you like this update! ^-^**

 **Roseberry007 : Thank you! Hopefully you like how it goes!**

 **Now let's get on to Chapter One, shall we?**

* * *

 _Tears streamed down her cheek as she shook her head in denial. "No!" She leaped out of her bed, rushing for the door - all healed, just as the Prince wanted - to get downstairs._

 _Sarah grabbed her before she could get out of the room, stopping her in her tracks. "No, Wilhelmina."_

 _"I won't believe you! I won't believe you!" Her eyes were scrunched shut as tears flowed down her cheeks, and she kicked her legs as Sarah lifted her into the air._

 _"Yes, you will!" Sarah screamed at her, and the poor girl jerked away as if she'd been slapped. Sarah had never slapped the girl in her life. She didn't intend to start now. "Wilhelmina Grimm, we are going to pack up our stuff, and we are going to move away. You are going to go to a public school. You are going to do well there. You are going to practice for the torture you will go through after your sixteenth birthday night, and prepare to fight the Grimm curse that will ultimately bring about your death. You are a Siren, and you are going to take this news like one. You won't cry. You will be strong, and you will understand that you are cursed, and that means that I will want as little contact with you as possible. Is that understood?"_

 _And ever intelligent Wilhelmina just nodded her head, although the tears still streaked her cheeks._

 _"Then go!" Again Sarah shouted, again Mina flinched as if slapped, and then she ran away down the stairs, no doubt to go get comfort from her father._

 _She won't find comfort there. He was going to be lying there, cold and dead on the ground. There would be no physical sign of death. Anyone who wasn't Fae would look at it and assume he died of a heart attack, or something equally ridiculous. They always seemed to blame stuff on that. And anyone who was Fae would know - or find out - that he was a Grimm, and would manage to connect the dots when they realized Wilhelmina existed._

 _There's no sadness in her heart. Sarah could only feel anger, and that dulled any pain she felt, or any other emotion for that matter._

* * *

 _Mina's POV_

* * *

As I pull up to the gate, I'm breathing pretty hard. This silly red bike has seen better days, making it even more difficult to bike, and the Grimm Manor where I live with my family is quite far away from my school. The trip back is mostly uphill too.

In short, the trip is quite unpleasant, and I make it almost every single day.

I push the button to allow myself in. "Mina Grimm." If it's my brother, he'll except the nickname. If it's my mom, she'll tell me to bike back up this awful hill and use the proper name.

"Who?" It's my mother. Shoot. "Bike down the hill, bike back up, and try that again."

Heaving a huge sigh, I bike down, turn around, and bike back up. Exhausted, it takes me even longer than usual. Twenty minutes later, I make it back to the house, and push the button again.

"Wilhelmina Grimm."

"Come in!" I detect an undertone of happiness in her voice, and frown. She enjoyed making me go through that, like usual. It hurts to think about that detail.

Instead of heading for the house, I hop off my bike and walk it past the house, into the woods surrounding the house, although it's still within the gates. I leave the bike at the edge, chaining it to a bike post. After that, I walk a few minutes into the woods, to a tree house in a small clearing. Smiling a bit at the sight of home, I head towards the ladder.

Technically speaking, the house is my home. But I haven't stayed in there sleeping-wise for a while. I go up maybe once a day to grab food, and to ask for anything I might need. Not that my mother always gets it, although she'll always get my _perfect_ brother whatever he wants. M mute brother, considered perfect because he isn't cursed. It's stupid. Besides the trips to get what I nee down here, I stay in the tree house that I designed with some help from a friendly builder. We even managed to get a bathroom installed - thanks to some Fae persuasion, although I feel guilty for using it - so that's not a problem. Climbing up, I sling my backpack through the door and turn on the light with a cord. It's not super bright, but it's good for this. Since it's Friday, I don't have to do homework just yet.

Which means it's time for training. As exhausted as I am, it's necessary. My sixteenth birthday is roughly two weeks away, and so I need to get in as much work as I can towards preparing for whatever the Grimm curse will entail. My mother seems to delight in telling me about how horrible it'll be, and training is my only way to prepare.

Grabbing a rope, I swing down to the ground, landing crouched down. "Alright. I guess I'll practice with throwing knives first today." Getting used to weapons - since I can make any weapon I need from something else - is good for self-defense.

Looking at the trees that always serves as my targets - each with a bulls-eye painted on them - and a table sits beside me, at the edge of the tree house clearing. Grabbing an assortment of sticks, I lay on the table, and after picturing them for a few moments as throwing knives, see that they've morphed into exactly what I need them to be. I have quite a few up in the tree already, but I don't feel like getting any of them right now. Plus, I can't let my transfiguration skills get rusty.

"Let's see now." Testing the weight of the first one in my hand, I throw it towards the nearest tree in the way I've been going about it for awhile.

Sadly, it's barely even on the ridge of the bulls eye. I frown, and bite my lip. I've made no improvement since I moved from hand to hand combat - hard to practice on my own, but I figured it out and still practice from time to to time - to weapons.

"You tend to hit lower than where you aim. Try aiming a bit higher." I jump at the voice, and turn around to come face to face with a boy.

He looks to be a bit older than me. He's got messy black hair, and pale skin. His clothing choice is all gray, from the gray t-shirt to the gray tennis shoes. The only thing that isn't gray are his jeans, which have a gray belt. In fact, even his eyes are gray.

"How did you get here?!" I demand angrily, grabbing one of the knives. "Did my mother let you in? Why are you back here?"

"Calm down, Mina." He tries to calm me down, but this just makes me even worse.

"How do you know my name?" Once again, I demand to know something else.

He frowns for a moment, as if trying to figure out how to answer my questions. "Let's put it simply. I'm sort of your...Guardian for these next two weeks. I'm supposed to make sure nothing bad happens to you. I can help you with your training too. Okay?"

"Next two weeks?" I frown, and my eyes narrow.

"Till the Prince comes to claim you."

At this, I become rather angry. "I don't need help! Or guarding!"

"Mina..."

"No."

"Come on, Princess, just let me help you out for a little while. I can help you advance!"

"Don't call me that!" I snarl the words. "And I don't believe random Fae who waltz into my home. Get. Out!"

"You're going to need me later." He warns.

I chuckle. "Well then, I guess I'll just have tor egret my decision then, now won't I?"

"If you say so." Shaking his head, he disappears.

"What a lunatic." Shaking my head, I go back to my knife-throwing.

When I try the tactic the boy - who remains nameless, since I didn't ask for a name - suggested, I hit all the targets dead center.

* * *

 **What did you guys think of this chapter? Sorry if this one seemed a bit rushed, the next chapter will hopefully be longer and have some better stuff in it! c: And I hope you guys recognize the boy! Book characters will - hopefully - be making their way into the story in different ways!**

 **Anyways, three reviews will have to be here before I update, and even then it might be a little longer. c;**

 **~ Dagger**


	3. Chapter 2 - Poor, Unfortunate Soul

**Chapter Two - Poor, Unfortunate Soul**

 **Hey guys! I'm back after my second disappearance. Hopefully I make up for how long I was gone with this update. I'm excited to see what you guys end up thinking about it!  
**

 **bloodjunkie20 : Thank you so much! I'm glad that you like it so far - especially the twists, as I'm really enjoying throwing twists in to my stories. c:**

 **Evx : Haha, I shall give no guarantees. I'm glad you like Jared being in the story though! I like adding him in, considering my stories generally end up having him be a jerk and this time I'm gonna try and keep him nice. :3 And yes, Mina's mom is pretty horrible, but I felt that having her have an awful mom would be good to have for later in the plot. c; I won't be telling you why just yet though!**

 **Guest 1 : Thank you! I'm super glad people as liking this!**

 **09Who knew90 : I'm glad I can catch you by surprise! c: I'm glad that everything is pretty good, minus the length. Which, believe me, I know can sometimes be annoying with me, especially considering the fact that the prologue was 3,000ish words (although that was supposed to be longer than the average chapter). Generally, my chapters are over 1,000, but I do have to balance it between too much and too little, and I want to make sure I don't bore anyone with too much detail. cx Plus, last chapter couldn't have had too much more in it, seeing as the next thing that happens (the starting event in this chapter) is a day after and later in the day. However, I will try to have it be kind of longer, but I make no guarantees! And haha, I'm glad you're bugging me about updates. It helps me know that people are really liking the story, and it helps me get to work on updating!**

 **Heywassuphelloo : Haha, Jarina is pretty sweet. I dunno what I would do if Jared and Teague were both the same and both were wanting Mina, cause I loved Jared as a character. 3 I really love Meague though, cause Teague is awesome, so I think Teague would probably win out by a smidge more. I'm glad you're liking the story, and I'm also glad you like how I write Sarah's character! I enjoy trying to write it in a way that really reflects the atmosphere between her and Mina.**

 **PRINCESSJOSLIN : I'm glad you like the story! As for Sarah, there are multiple reasons. Firstly, I was wondering what it would be like if Mina had grown up differently. I mean, Sarah is always quite supportive and protective, and Mina's character kind of comes off of that. So, I like messing around with the mechanics a bit and making Mina struggle some. Secondly, this specific story was inspired from a wacky dream I had, and so Sarah fit into the story the way she does. Thirdly, I wanted to challenge myself to write Sarah into the story - as I find I generally don't or I forget her - and I wanted to make it even more of a challenge by changing her personality around. Fourthly, as I think I said when I replied to Evx, it's going to help the plot later to make things a bit more clear. Hopefully that's a satisfying answer to your question! If you have other questions, feel free to ask! I promise I won't bite, and I love when you guys ask questions. I also promise I'll try and answer, unless I can't for the story's sake.**

 **Now that we've got the R &A (Reader and Author) section of this done, let's move on with the story, shall we? I'm excited to have you guys learn about what happens to Mina next!**

* * *

 _He frowns for a moment, as if trying to figure out how to answer my questions. "Let's put it simply. I'm sort of your...Guardian for these next two weeks. I'm supposed to make sure nothing bad happens to you. I can help you with your training too. Okay?"_

 _"Next two weeks?" I frown, and my eyes narrow._

 _"Till the Prince comes to claim you."_

 _At this, I become rather angry. "I don't need help! Or guarding!"_

 _"Mina..."_

 _"No."_

 _"Come on, Princess, just let me help you out for a little while. I can help you advance!"_

 _"Don't call me that!" I snarl the words. "And I don't believe random Fae who waltz into my home. Get. Out!"_

 _"You're going to need me later." He warns._

 _I chuckle. "Well then, I guess I'll just have to regret my decision then, now won't I?"_

 _"If you say so." Shaking his head, he disappears._

 _"What a lunatic." Shaking my head, I go back to my knife-throwing._

 _When I try the tactic the boy - who remains nameless, since I didn't ask for a name - suggested, I hit all the targets dead center._

* * *

 _Mina's POV_

* * *

Just a day after my meeting with the boy in the woods, I've found myself in a situation where I _really_ regret not agreeing to allow him to be my Guardian.

I don't normally go into town. In crowds, people generally find that they can lose themselves and seemingly disappear. I, on the other hand, seem to draw unwanted attention to me like a magnet. I suspect that it's the little, black star's fault, and that Fae can sense it. I always seem to attract trouble in town, and while I don't go down there too much, I think Sarah might now. However, I decided to go down today to do some window shopping, because even though it makes me feel super pathetic, I like imagining what it could look like.

It was as I was walking around and the crowds on the streets were starting to get a bit thinner that I ran into the trouble. I turned on to another sidewalk where there weren't too many people - there might not have been anyone on the street at all, I didn't get a good look - and it was there that a golden-haired boy pulled me aside. Because of the night, I couldn't get a good look, but I did see that he was wearing gloves, a suit, and top hat. However, he shoved me into the wall, one arm shoving my neck - and me along with it - into the wall, successfully making it a little difficult to breathe.

That's actually where I am right now, and I've drawn the conclusion that today is definitely not a good day for me.

"So you're the current Grimm girl, hm?" He whispers in my ear, and I find myself struggling a little to get a proper breathe from the fact that my airway is being pushed on. So, I'm forced to nod instead of answering with my voice. He seems to be rather sadistic, considering he seems to be quite happy that I am having some issues breathing. "It can't be too much longer till the Prince takes you then."

"Once today is over, twelve days." I manage to choke that out as I struggle, trying to force his arm off so I can get a proper breathe.

"Twelve days, eh? Not too long then." He nods, and with his free hand brushes a strand of hair out of my eyes so he can look at my eyes properly.

"Not long at all." His arm loosens just enough for me to get that full breath of air after I make that statement.

"And what's your name, love?" He raises an eyebrow.

After a moment of contemplation, I respond with my nickname. "Mina." I decide not to get mad at him for calling me 'love,' seeing as I'm sort of stuck right now, although I'm sure my eyes widened when he said it.

"Mina Grimm?" He tests the name, and then shakes his head. "I'm not really feeling it. Is Mina short for anything?"

I sort of mumble it this time. "Wilhelmina."

"Wilhelmina Grimm? Still not feeling it. I think 'love' is much better." A smirk adorns his face as he says the words, as if silently daring me to question it.

"You can't do that." I narrow my eyes a little, and try to kick him.

He easily avoids it though, and I can hear him muttering under his breathe. When he finishes his muttering, I suddenly find that I can't move at all. What did he do, immobilize me? "Ah, I think you'll find that I _can_ do that."

Slowly, he slides off the glove on his right hand. With his now ungloved hand, he reaches forward and touches the strand of hair he previously pushed out of my eyes. As he does, I see that his fingernails are glittering gold, however my attention is quickly diverted from that when I see that strand of hair turn gold.

"What did you do?!" I demand, scared out of my wits by the Fae magic he just performed as he regloves his hand.

"I'm sending the Prince a message." The sadistic smirk is back, and suddenly I can move again. However, before I can try and run, he grabs my arms. "Going somewhere?"

"Anywhere but here!" I try to kick him again, but once again he avoids it as if he's dancing.

"I don't think so, love." He spins me around and, and I nearly lose my balance in the process. "You see, in the two week stretch, most Grimms have their assigned guardian. You do not. And without them-"

And then there's an interruption. "Who says she doesn't have a guardian, Templestiltskin?" I can't see who's talking thanks to Templestiltskin, but he can.

Templestiltskin hisses something under his breathe that I can't make out. "I should've been able to detect that she was guarded!"

"She hasn't officially allowed me to become her guardian yet, trader, since she rejected me when I first arrived to help." I don't know what 'trader' means, but I have a feeling it's not something good for me. "My arrival was, after all, the only reason you didn't approach her tree house yesterday as planned. I'd thrown up a protective bubble around her home anyways after that, seeing as I sensed you there." He was guarding me even though I said I didn't need guarding? I guess I'm relieved now, but I'm also frustrated that he was right and I was wrong when I barely even know him. "I have a feeling she will let me now though. All she has to do is say 'I accept Jared as my guardian,' and then the deed is done." So his name is Jared? Okay then. "Then I'll have every right to kill you. So, I suggest you go, before I do kill you. Prince Teague would not be happy to know you were messing with his chosen Grimm." He glances at me. "I suggest you say it now, Mina."

I really don't have a choice now, do I? "I accept Jared as my guardian."

The instant the words leave my mouth, Templestiltskin takes off. I glance over to see the boy dressed in gray from yesterday, and he's holding a leather-bound, spiral notebook. He opens it, and I push myself up against the wall as glowing, white tendrils spill out from it. They grab Templestiltskin before he can go to far, pulling him back. He's spitting and struggling, but he's no match for whatever magic that book has in it. The book literally drags him in with the tendrils, and then it goes dark. The light in the alley has gone from being slightly lt by those tendrils to the same lighting it was when I was pulled in here from before. Maybe even darker, since it's getting later.

"Are you okay?" Jared, looking concerned, approaches slowly. He extends a hand, touching the tendril that Templestiltskin turned gold. It instantly goes back to it's normal, chocolate brown color once he touches it.

"Yes." I nod, but he frowns.

"No, you aren't." He sighs. "I'm sorry. It's very difficult to track you and keep you safe though when you aren't allowing me to become your guardian." However, his frown shifts to a rather crooked grin. "Good thing we got that sorted out, hm?"

"I suppose so." This time it's my turn to sigh.

"Hey, you're fine, okay? You're safe."

"It's not that. It's just...All this...It made me realize something...It doesn't really matter..." I shake my head.

"Hey, you can tell me, okay? I know you don't really know me. But I want to help you, and seeing as I'm officially your guardian now, I'd like to be able to at least make you a little more at ease." He extends a hand towards me.

After a moment's hesitation, I take it. "I guess this is just making the curse seem more real. It's really scary. My home may not be the best place ever, but it's still my home. I can't imagine leaving it...And yet there's less than two weeks till I'll be ripped away from it."

Biting his lip, Jared takes a minute before responding. But when he does respond, his gray eyes meet my chocolate brown ones, and I find I can't help but trust him. There's something there that I can't help but feel drawn to. "Think of it this way, Princess." I open my mouth to protest the nickname, but he plows on before I can express my dislike for it. "Would you like to stay in a place where you are not wanted, or take your chances in finding yourself a spot in a place where you are?"

* * *

 **Phew, that was fun to write! I promise, more of what the Grimm curse actually entails in this story will be explained later. However, considering I don't want everything explained right away, you'll have to wait a bit!  
**

 **If we get three reviews, I'll update! If you do review, I'd love some opinions on Templestiltskin's appearance, the current relationship Jared and Mina seem to have, any reactions to stuff that happened, and any predictions you have for later! You guys are so awesome, so I'm really happy to be writing!**

 **Until next time! (or until I update Killer Of My Heart, if you read that story!)**

 **~ Dagger**


	4. Chapter 3 - Deja Vu

**Chapter Three - Deja Vu**

 **Alright guys! After a pretty rough day at school, I'm really happy to be here and writing again. c: School, drama at school, band, musical, and personal issues are eating up my time recently, so I apologize that I didn't start on Saturday with my whole "only one story will get updates that week" thing. To make up for it, I'll keep updating this one till next Tuesday, and then I'll switch which story I'm updating for a week!**

 **Evx : Haha, poor Mina indeed. She's got a lot to handle, doesn't she? It's very good that Jared was able to save and protect her, although whether or not it becomes more than that is yet to be seen for you guys. c; Of course I know. I am the author. I know exactly where this is going, and whether or not Jarina will make an appearance. :D And I can't wait to see how you react to Prince Teague. He is quite fun and is his normal Teague-ness, but it'll be fun to see how things go from there!**

 **09Who knew09 : I'm glad I managed to surprise you. That's one of the things I enjoy doing in my writing, although I do like having some predictable things too. I'm glad that Templestiltskin's appearance and the relationship of Jared and Mina were still good, even though they were a little rushed. Although, seeing as Jared's and Mina's relationship being rushed is somewhat involved in the plot - since it seemed to move faster - some of that may be confronted a bit this chapter. I promise, there is actually some stuff that we'll be learning that may make the relationship less rushed. I'm glad that Jared's last sentence good! I was happy ending with that, because it left us wondering about Mina _and_ it also got the readers thinking. c: And I'm glad that the chapter was good. It's kind of hard sometimes writing this, seeing as the entire story "came to me in a dream" - as weird as that sounds - but I enjoy the challenge. I'm glad that it's proving to be a success! Hopefully my writing improves. I definitely fell back a little bit in the two/three/four month break I took from fanfiction writing, so I'm trying to at least get back to where I was, which is proving to be a challenge.**

 **Anyways, let's move on to this next chapter, hm? I've blabbered enough as it is. cx**

* * *

 _"Are you okay?" Jared, looking concerned, approaches slowly. He extends a hand, touching the tendril that Templestiltskin turned gold. It instantly goes back to it's normal, chocolate brown color once he touches it._

 _"Yes." I nod, but he frowns._

 _"No, you aren't." He sighs. "I'm sorry. It's very difficult to track you and keep you safe though when you aren't allowing me to become your guardian." However, his frown shifts to a rather crooked grin. "Good thing we got that sorted out, hm?"_

 _"I suppose so." This time it's my turn to sigh._

 _"Hey, you're fine, okay? You're safe."_

 _"It's not that. It's just...All this...It made me realize something...It doesn't really matter..." I shake my head._

 _"Hey, you can tell me, okay? I know you don't really know me. But I want to help you, and seeing as I'm officially your guardian now, I'd like to be able to at least make you a little more at ease." He extends a hand towards me._

 _After a moment's hesitation, I take it. "I guess this is just making the curse seem more real. It's really scary. My home may not be the best place ever, but it's still my home. I can't imagine leaving it...And yet there's less than two weeks till I'll be ripped away from it."_

 _Biting his lip, Jared takes a minute before responding. But when he does respond, his gray eyes meet my chocolate brown ones, and I find I can't help but trust him. There's something there that I can't help but feel drawn to. "Think of it this way, Princess." I open my mouth to protest the nickname, but he plows on before I can express my dislike for it. "Would you like to stay in a place where you are not wanted, or take your chances in finding yourself a spot in a place where you are?"_

* * *

 _Mina's Point of View_

* * *

Two days after the "Templestiltskin Accident" - as I've so lovingly named it - I found myself in my room working on homework. To be more specific, I'm working on my math homework. Not that I've really accomplished anything so far, seeing as I've been distracted all day.

Several things have been eating away at me. The first one would be that there are ten days left till my sixteenth birthday, and that means there are ten days left till Prince Teague comes to take me away. Going hand in hand with that is how I feel about Jared's question. And, to be honest, I really don't know how I feel, or how I _should_ feel. Should I be excited to leave a life that seems quite awful? Probably. Should I be frightened of such a big change? Almost definitely. Should I be nervous about meeting Prince Teague? Yes, considering he's a _Prince_. Should I be sad that I'll have to leave behind my friends that I have? That question I can answer with utmost certainty. Yes, I should be sad to leave my only friend - Nix, who helps me out with schoolwork and is the sweetest, goofiest guy I have ever met - I have behind. Plus, I barely even know what this curse is going to entail for me, minus the fact that according to my mother, it's "horrible, horrendous, and challenging" and "you are almost definitely going to die trying to complete it."

She likes to "encourage" me by telling me stuff like that. It _definitely_ makes me feel better about myself, and puts me in a _great_ mood.

This stuff was so distracting that I didn't even react to the humiliation I suffered today, but that worked in my favor. The infamous - although famous by our school's standards - Savannah White decided it would be fun to pour the entire contents of a milk carton that was full of rotten milk onto my head today at school. Not to mention she poured some of her lunch on after that. It wasn't pleasant, but I really didn't care. In fact, I probably would've ignored it and pretended nothing was wrong if it wasn't for Nix rushing me out to get me cleaned off away from everyone else. Savannah is a brat, and this time - like almost every other time - I didn't even do anything to deserve to get picked on by her. I think she does it because it makes her more popular, but I don't see how that logic works.

Even when I was cleaning myself off the best I could, I couldn't stop myself from thinking about the curse. I need to know more about it besides what my mother says! After all, what my mom tells me about it is of no help whatsoever. The only problem is, I don't know who to ask, because I haven't seen Jared in forever. Forever being two days, of course.

"Earth to Mina!" I blink as a certain redhead waves a hand in front of my face, a rather silly grin appearing on his face. "Welcome back, mind traveler."

I chuckle a little at that comment, before frowning and saying, "Sorry about that, Nix." Concentrating on my homework is hard with all the thoughts bouncing around in my head. However, I have to try, seeing as Nix is here doing his homework with me so that he can help. "Where were we?"

He frowns a little, and disregards my question completely to ask one of his own. "Are you okay, Mina? You've seemed distracted all day."

His concern means a lot to me, and in truth, I'm not okay. However, I can't tell him the truth - that I'm distracted because I'm cursed - without losing the one friend I have. So, instead, I nod my head with a small smile. "I'm fine. Where were we again?"

Nix decides not to push the matter, and points the problem out to me. Once he shows it to me, I do my very best to push the curse from my mind for a little while. Nix is one of the most amazing people I've ever met. He doesn't bug me about my home life - although he doesn't completely understand why it happens and I think he pities me for it - or anything else. About two hours later, Nix and I find that we managed to complete all the math, english, and spanish homework. That just leaves history to be done, but when we're about to start on it, he looks at the time.

"Shoot, its 6:18 pm!" He slides his stuff into his bag in a bit of a hurry, and apologizes. "I'm sorry, Mina. I have to get home, or my mom will kill me. She needs me to pick up Nan," His gorgeous, peppy, popular sister, "when her cheer practice ends, and I'll be late if I don't go now. You can manage the history homework without me, right?" He stands up, sliding his backpack on and pausing to make sure I can. No doubt he would try and convince his mom otherwise if I said I couldn't.

"I'm sure I'll be fine. You go." I smile in response, standing up to get the door for him.

He pulls me into a hug real quick - even though he does this quite a bit, it takes me by surprise every time - and offer me a big grin. I smile in return, my cheeks going a little red, and then grab the door for him. He hurries off, climbing down as quick as he can and heading in the direction that he parked his car in.

I shout after him, cupping one hand around my mouth so that I'm a bit louder. "Bye Nix!"

He turns to wave real quickly back at me, and then disappears into the trees. Sighing after he goes, I turn to go back to my homework. It's reading in the history book and then answering five questions real quickly. Honestly, it shouldn't be too much of a problem, if I can just stay focused. I kneel down beside my backpack - which is next to the "kitchen" table - to grab my binder and book. However, when I do, I find my binder is there, but my book isn't. Shoot! Did I leave it at school? I was so sure when I was leaving that I had it in my bookbag, but maybe I was wrong?

That's whenever somebody speaks up from behind me. "You humans don't have very interesting history." I turn around to find Jared - dressed in gray, as usual - laying on my bed, skimming through my 'missing' history book. "I'd like to hope this book is just lacking details. Should I get you a copy of a Fae history book? That might be more interesting to you."

Deciding that I don't feel like arguing with him over that, I groan instead, although I am relieved that I didn't leave it at school. "Jared!" Standing up, I walk over and snatch the book away from him. "I need that to do my homework!"

"I never did understand the reason for homework." Jared responds, sitting up and watching me set the book down on the table.

"Well, it's necessary in order for me to pass my classes!" I don't add that I do better on homework than I do on tests and quizzes. I need the points.

The oddest sense of deja vu over the whole book thing creeps into my mind, but I ignore it as Jared says, "Calm your jets, Princess."

I groan once again over the annoying nickname. "Why do you always call me that?"

He frowns at my question, as if the answer is obvious. "Surely you understand that by now?"

The choice of wording is a bit weird, but I pay it no mind as I shake my head and answer his question. "Why would I?"

"Because of the Grimm curse." He is honestly extremely confused as to why I don't understand this nickname, and I'm starting to become more and more curious as of the reasoning behind it. What does me being called 'Princess' have to do with the curse? Does that have anything to do with the question he asked before? I didn't really understand that either.

"I don't know anything useful about the curse, Jared, besides the fact that I'm almost definitely going to die." I sigh, and Jared runs a hand through his hair, as if unsure about how to respond to the whole 'dying' comment.

In the end, he ignores the comment about dying and says, "I thought your mom would've explained this to you." I originally think he looks concerned, but now I think he might actually be _frustrated_ about this. "This needs to be fixed."

"Really?" I decide to ignore the fact that he is frustrated with my mom - mainly because I could go on for hours and hours about everything she does that frustrates me - and focus on my excitement about actually learning something about this curse. "Do you mean it?"

"Why would I say it if I didn't, Princess?" I leave him be for calling me that this time, although the odd sense of deja vu creeps up again.

"Alright! Should I start asking you questions, then?" I tilt my head as I ask, but he shakes my head, causing me to raise an eyebrow.

"Not here. It may be protected from random Fae wondering in and trying to get you, but the Godmothers might be able to break through the shield. I want to go to somewhere more protected." He stands up, and heads for the door.

"The...Godmothers?" I frown, confused by why he sounds so worried about them. They sound like they would be good, after all. "Those sound like good people."

He chuckles, but it's not a nice one. It's rather bitter instead. "You would think they were, but they aren't. I know of a place that they can't get into though, and it'll allow us to talk freely. That way, we don't have to worry about anymore people trying to do what Templestiltskin did-"

"Templestiltskin was a Godmother?" I stood up to follow him, but now I hesitate.

"Yes. Now do you understand the danger? He wasn't very powerful, and I only just found out that he was one. However, there's no doubt that others will follow until your sixteenth birthday. There's someone at your school too, so I suggest you be careful. I'm still trying to figure out who."

"Wait, what?" My jaw drops.

"No more questions right now. I'm going to take you to the safe place. Come on." He opens the door for me, and takes my hand.

* * *

 **What did you guys think of this chapter? Was it good? Bad? Hopefully it wasn't as rushed as last chapter! Was Nix coming in good? What was all that "deja vu" feeling about? And what was all this about the Godmothers?  
**

 **I'll try to update again soon!  
**

 **~ Dagger**


	5. Chapter 4 - It All Makes Sense In The

**Chapter Four - It All Makes Sense In The End**

 **Hey guys! I'm back, with another update! I'm super excited for this chapter, because we'll be getting some answers from the wonderful Jared about the Grimm curse! :D Also, I'm gonna say thank you to Evx and 09Who knew90 for the wonderful reviews that keep this story going. c: They mean so much to me, and definitely inspire me to continue my writing on here. c; You two are super amazing!  
**

 **Evx : Thanks! I'm super excited to have evil Godmothers in the story. c: I'm also glad you find Nix and Nan being siblings interesting. I liked doing that, as I feel it makes things even more fun. c: I'll be excited to see if you do end up hating him or not! Personally, I don't hate him with the route I'm taking, but whether or not you guys feel the same way will be interesting! :3  
**

 **09Who knew90 : Thanks! I'm glad that this chapter was excellent, that the characters were amazing (that always makes me super happy that I portrayed people well), and that there was no rushing (I especially wanted to try and not have that, so I'm super happy that was fixed!). :D I'm glad that you liked Nix popping up. I love him a lot too. c: He's right below Teague/Jared (I have them on the same tier book wise, although Jared in my fanfictions tends to be below Teague) on my list for the guys in An Unfortunate Fairytale. As for the deja vu, it doesn't have to do with her meeting Prince Teague. c; However, it is from when she was a little girl. c: I'm glad it's stumping you a little bit though! That let's me know that I'm doing a good job! :D And agh, the typosssss. I always manage to miss a few of those, but I'm glad they were hardly noticeable! As for updates, I've decided I'm going to focus on a specific story each week. So, until this coming Tuesday, I'll just be updating this story, as I've found I seem to not rush the chapters and that I make them longer whenever I'm only updating one story. Hopefully that won't be too agonizing for my other stories, as I know some have some drama going on in them!**

 **Anyways, let's go on with the story!**

* * *

 _"Really?" I decide to ignore the fact that he is frustrated with my mom - mainly because I could go on for hours and hours about everything she does that frustrates me - and focus on my excitement about actually learning something about this curse. "Do you mean it?"_

 _"Why would I say it if I didn't, Princess?" I leave him be for calling me that this time, although the odd sense of deja vu creeps up again._

 _"Alright! Should I start asking you questions, then?" I tilt my head as I ask, but he shakes my head, causing me to raise an eyebrow._

 _"Not here. It may be protected from random Fae wondering in and trying to get you, but the Godmothers might be able to break through the shield. I want to go to somewhere more protected." He stands up, and heads for the door._

 _"The...Godmothers?" I frown, confused by why he sounds so worried about them. They sound like they would be good, after all. "Those sound like good people."_

 _He chuckles, but it's not a nice one. It's rather bitter instead. "You would think they were, but they aren't. I know of a place that they can't get into though, and it'll allow us to talk freely. That way, we don't have to worry about anymore people trying to do what Templestiltskin did-"_

 _"Templestiltskin was a Godmother?" I stood up to follow him, but now I hesitate._

 _"Yes. Now do you understand the danger? He wasn't very powerful, and I only just found out that he was one. However, there's no doubt that others will follow until your sixteenth birthday. There's someone at your school too, so I suggest you be careful. I'm still trying to figure out who."_

 _"Wait, what?" My jaw drops._

 _"No more questions right now. I'm going to take you to the safe place. Come on." He opens the door for me, and takes my hand._

* * *

 _Mina's Point of View_

* * *

"You have a lot of explaining to do, buster." I stop short, and Jared almost loses his grip on my hand when I do. In front of us is a black motorcycle, the real reason I stopped short. "However, I don't know if I'm willing to get any of that explanation, seeing as I'm sure you're expecting me to get on _that_."

"You don't have to talk to it like that." He almost sounds offended. I have to stop myself from laughing, so that I can stay horrified and not get distracted. "And yes, I do expect you to get on this. But it's perfectly safe."

"Perfectly safe?" I laugh at that. "Motorcycles aren't safe!"

"Do you trust me?" Jared raise an eyebrow.

"What does that have to do with anything?" I respond, using my free hand to express myself a bit as I talk. I prefer to talk with my hands.

"Everything. I'm your guardian. I need you to trust me. If you trust me, you'll trust that I'll keep you safe on this motorcycle." His arguments make sense, I just don't want to admit it.

"I barely even know you." I counter. "I only talked to you, what, four days ago? How am I supposed to trust you?" And yet, I did when I was in trouble with Templestiltskin. Something pushed me to trust him, and I have no idea what. So, I decide not to bring that up.

"That's not t-" He stops mid-sentence, rubbing the back of his neck and then finishing. I can tell he meant to say something else though. But what? "That's not the point. If you're ever going to trust me, we need to start now."

"I won't have to trust you for long if I _do_ end up trusting you." I point out in response to this new argument. "In ten days time, it's likely I'll never see you again."

Again, he looks like he'd like to argue, and I have to admit I'm becoming more and more confused by the minute. What does he know that he's refusing to tell me? Because it doesn't seem to have anything to do with the Grimm curse. Will he explain it if we ever go to the 'safe place'? That fact makes going more enticing. However, the danger of getting on that motorcycle still makes me hesitant.

"Look, if you want to know anything about the Grimm curse and be able to become any more prepared, you have to come with me." He releases my hand, walks over to the motorcycle, and then extends his hand to me again. "Your choice."

I stand there for maybe three minutes trying to way the danger in either direction. In the end, danger of not knowing and the agony of not knowing win out over the potential to crash, and I walk over to him. However, I don't take his hand, although he doesn't seem to mind all that much.

"Good. Glad you made the smart decision there, Princess." He gives me a grin, letting me know that he used the nickname for the purpose of annoying me this time. The little twerp! He gets me to put on a helmet - although he doesn't, which is even _more_ worrying - and then has me climb on after him. However, his instructions make me stop short yet again. "Now, hug my waist."

"Excuse me?" I raise an eyebrow, and decide in my head that I'm not going to do it.

"I'm not trying to come up for a reason for you to hug me, Princess." I can hear him rolling his eyes in his voice, although I'm not sure how. It sounds so familiar in the oddest way - I think the deja vu feeling has climbed back into my stomach - but I've never heard him use this tone before. Have I? "I'm suggesting you do it for your own safety. That is why you were so worried about this, isn't it? Safety?"

"When you put it like that, fine." Sighing, I wrap my arms around his waist, and the moment he starts I'm glad I did.

I think he's going illegally fast, and I grip his waist even tighter. Given what I know about Jared, there's no doubt he's enjoying this. He might even be enjoying how terrified I am by this. However, because of the illegal speed, we do get there faster than we would've had we been following the law, so I'm not sure that it would've been better to be on the motorcycle longer but actually be following the law.

I don't waste any time and I'm off the motorcycle in maybe five seconds flat, pulling my helmet off. Jared looks rather amused as he parks the vehicle properly and climbs off after me. I toss the helmet at him, almost hoping it'll hit him to get him back for him terrifying me, but he catches it with ease. Oh well. At least I tried.

"And here we are." Jared gestures around us, and I finally take the time to look away from the road to look at the area around us.

We're by a pond, and it's actually a pretty clear pond, at least by the shore. In between the pond and where we're standing our some logs, arranged in a circle around what appears to be a fire pit. It's not a super amazing place, and I'm honestly a bit confused by it all.

" _This_ is the safe place from the Godmothers?" I raise an eyebrow. "I don't even know who they are, but if they're Fae, how on earth is this place safe from them?"

"Because only people - humans or Fae - who have been allowed by Prince Teague can enter. Don't ask me how he did it though, because that is too complicated to explain." The last part is added just in time, because I almost asked that.

So, instead, I ask a different question. "When did the Prince gives us permission?"

He taps his foot impatiently, and instead of answering the question, asks one of his own. "Do you want to know what's going on, or not?"

"I do, I do!" My response comes quickly, because I don't want to miss this chance.

"Then calm down on the questions, and let me at least get the basic knowledge into your hands." Jared looks at the pretty much clear, blue sky. "We have plenty of time, so once this is all done I'll get you back home, and you can finish your boring homework. Alright?" I nod, and he continues. "Let's sit down on the logs, okay?"

"Okay." I walk over, and sit down on the nearest one, facing the fire pit.

Jared walks over to the one across from me - on the other side of the pit, facing the road - and sits down with his legs crossed. He rests his elbows on his knees, claps his hands together, and rests his chin on them for a moment, as if he's examining me. For what, I'm not sure, but I don't say anything about it, seeing as even the examination is making me feel nervous. Bringing it up would be awkward.

After maybe a minute, he switches to a more natural position, and the examination feeling stops. "Before we begin, I want to lay down one rule." His face is pretty much void of emotion, which confuses me. But, yet again, I don't ask, mainly because I'm too nervous to. "No interruptions. Got it?"

"But what i-" I begin, but Jared holds up a hand to stop me.

"No interruptions." He repeats, and I sigh, nodding my head to show that I understand. "I'll start at the beginning then."

However, before he starts, he stands up. It actually pikes my curiosity as to why he does it, and I open my mouth to ask, although I quickly shut it. I can't interrupt. I have to remember that while he's talking.

"Along time ago, it was decided that all the eligible girls from many different kingdoms that were close to the Prince's age would be brought to compete for Prince Teague's hand in marriage." As he talks, he paces, and I listen intently as I watch him. "King Lucian and Queen Maeve had originally given him the ability to choose, but he had no interest in getting married, so he missed the chance to pick himself. He would become a Fate one day, and ruling as sole Fate on the Fae plane would be too much for anyone. It would kill the entire Fae plane, not to mention the Fate." He pauses, taking a deep breathe and adding. "The Fates are the rulers of the Fae plane, and the Fae plane are where most of the Fae live, although quite a few have come here, to the human plane. Are you following me so far?"

I nod my head, and keep my comments to myself, seeing as this story doesn't seem to be close to finished yet.

Seeming satisfied that I am telling the truth about understanding everything so far - and I am - Jared continues. "So, many eligible ladies, princesses, and overall 'high society' girls came to try and win Prince Teague's hand in marriage." He almost sounds disgusted as he says this, and I can't help but wonder if he was there when this all happened. Is he a close friend with Prince Teague? If he is, why was he chosen to come to the human plane and guard me? "There were hundreds of girls that showed up, but the Prince rejected most of them. In the end, only twelve were asked to stay longer and move on to the next rounds. One of these was a girl named Willa Grimm." I have to keep myself from gasping. My ancestor was in a competition to marry a Prince? "She was a siren, just like you are. In fact, she was the princess of the sirens. Princess Willa Grimm. She didn't look much different than you, and she did manage to catch Prince Teague's attention. All of the the girls that stayed did. However, Willa - along with two others - were working for an underground, rebellion group known as the Godmothers."

The good feeling I got hearing about Willa fades, replaced by a sour feeling. "What exactly are the Godmothers?"

Jared looks a bit irritated as he pauses to look at me, and I realize I've interrupted. "The Godmothers were, as I said, a secret rebellion group. They still are, actually. They disapprove of the way the Fae plane is run, and feel that the Fates should be removed from power, along with their descendants." He's really upset about this. He's certainly extremely loyal to Prince Teague, and the Fates. "Willa, along with two other girls named Ferah and Ever, had joined their cause, and were sent to try and assassinate Prince Teague." The name Ever sounds familiar, although I'm not quite sure why. I'll focus on that later.

"Ferah was discovered right away, in a test by blood. She was sent off to be killed. Ever and Willa, however, passed, and Willa eventually saved Ferah's life from a Reaper. And, as the contest progresses, began to change her opinion on the whole matter. She actually found herself falling in love with the prince, and when it came down to the final four, was the one who completed the race through the maze. However, Ferah arrived, nearly killing the Prince - who Willa healed - and exposing Willa."

"What?" I gasp the words out, but Jared sighs at the interruption.

"It gets worse, Princess."

* * *

 **And we'll be finding out the rest of the story next chapter! What do you guys think about all of this so far? Was this chapter good? I'm going to sleep, or I'd maybe write some more here/in the chapter itself. This ending is good though!**

 **Until next time!**

 **~ Dagger**


	6. Chapter 5 - Are You Happy With Your

**Chapter Five - Are You Happy With Your Answer?**

 **Hehe, here we are with another update, guys! Let's get the rest of the answers from Jared, since things are about to get worse, according to Jared. And right now, he seems to be a pretty reliable source.**

 **09Who knew90 : Before I say anything about your review, I just want to tell you that seeing you reviewed and reading it brought such a big smile to my face when I woke up and saw that there was a review. I've been having a hard time, and seeing such an amazing review brought my spirits up right away. c: I'm glad the chapter was good, and I'm glad you're liking the answers so far! I'm glad Mina was awesome, and that's awesome that I was able to give you some book-Jared moments! :D That always is satisfying for me. And yay about there being only one typo! At some point I'll have to go through all my fanfictions and fix all the typos, if I ever have the patience too. cx As for the Godmothers, there's still more to their story. c: So don't worry about that, they aren't just a rebellious group anymore. I'm glad the chapter wasn't rushed and that it flowed too! That's super exciting! Ah yes, poor Teague. :c We'll be hearing a bit more on what happened with Willa, Ferah, Ever, Teague, and what the Godmothers are like in the present this chapter. c; I'm glad you are excited for this update, so I hope it doesn't disappoint you!**

 **Now, shall we get on with the show - errrr, chapter? I'm super excited to give the rest of the answers - that Jared is going to give us - this chapter, and I hope that it'll all make sense!**

* * *

 _I nod my head, and keep my comments to myself, seeing as this story doesn't seem to be close to finished yet._

 _Seeming satisfied that I am telling the truth about understanding everything so far - and I am - Jared continues. "So, many eligible ladies, princesses, and overall 'high society' girls came to try and win Prince Teague's hand in marriage." He almost sounds disgusted as he says this, and I can't help but wonder if he was there when this all happened. Is he a close friend with Prince Teague? If he is, why was he chosen to come to the human plane and guard me? "There were hundreds of girls that showed up, but the Prince rejected most of them. In the end, only twelve were asked to stay longer and move on to the next rounds. One of these was a girl named Willa Grimm." I have to keep myself from gasping. My ancestor was in a competition to marry a Prince? "She was a siren, just like you are. In fact, she was the princess of the sirens. Princess Willa Grimm. She didn't look much different than you, and she did manage to catch Prince Teague's attention. All of the the girls that stayed did. However, Willa - along with two others - were working for an underground, rebellion group known as the Godmothers."_

 _The good feeling I got hearing about Willa fades, replaced by a sour feeling. "What exactly are the Godmothers?"_

 _Jared looks a bit irritated as he pauses to look at me, and I realize I've interrupted. "The Godmothers were, as I said, a secret rebellion group. They still are, actually. They disapprove of the way the Fae plane is run, and feel that the Fates should be removed from power, along with their descendants." He's really upset about this. He's certainly extremely loyal to Prince Teague, and the Fates. "Willa, along with two other girls named Ferah and Ever, had joined their cause, and were sent to try and assassinate Prince Teague." The name Ever sounds familiar, although I'm not quite sure why. I'll focus on that later._

 _"Ferah was discovered right away, in a test by blood. She was sent off to be killed. Ever and Willa, however, passed, and Willa eventually saved Ferah's life from a Reaper. And, as the contest progresses, began to change her opinion on the whole matter. She actually found herself falling in love with the prince, and when it came down to the final four, was the one who completed the race through the maze. However, Ferah arrived, nearly killing the Prince - who Willa healed - and exposing Willa."_

 _"What?" I gasp the words out, but Jared sighs at the interruption._

 _"It gets worse, Princess."_

* * *

 _Mina's Point of View_

* * *

"Worse?" I whimper the word, but Jared doesn't bother to try and comfort me about it.

Instead, he takes up his pacing, and continues to tell the story. "You see, it was a race through the maze, and there were four girls in there. Diana, Ever, Annalora, and Willa. Annalora murdered Diana, nearly murdered Ever, and attempted to kill Willa. Willa managed to knock Annalora unconscious, and after healing Ever to the best of her ability, had to rush to the center of the maze. She knew that Ferah was on her way, and that she'd have to beat her there. And so, she ran to the tower, and made it inside."

"The Prince was quite pleased that she had finally made it - if not slightly annoyed that she hadn't made it faster - and in those moments up there, things ended up going badly. Ferah arrived, and when she saw that Willa was planning to actually marry Prince Teague and not murder him, she became furious." I watch Jared's hands curl into fists, and watch his anger grow yet again. He must take this whole traitor thing extremely personally. "She exposed the assassination plot - in which Willa was supposed to be the key assassin if Ferah failed, with Ever pulling in behind her - and then proceeded to stab Prince Teague with a knife filled with hatred."

"The Prince fell to the ground, and Willa knelt down next to him." Was he in the tower or something when this all happened? Or was he given a detailed account from Prince Teague? The amount of information he is able to give on this all is quite amazing, but also peculiar. "She was able to get most of the dagger out without a problem. But part of it - the tip - was embedded in his heart, and a special Fae magic was required to take it out. The kind where you trade one person - who does it willingly - to bear whatever it is instead of the person currently dealing with it. And so, Willa did that. She embedded the tip in herself, saving Prince Teague and ultimately resulting in her death."

"Ferah was executed for treason and anything else you could think of on why she could be killed. Ever disappeared, and there has been no luck in all this time with finding her. I've even tried to find her myself." That comes across as a bit odd to me, but I make no comment on it. Did the Prince ask him to try and find her? I guess that would make sense. "Prince Teague, however, was torn. He wanted to punish Willa, but she was dead. He also still wanted to marry her still, but again, she was still dead."

"And so, he devised a curse of sorts." I bite my lip at this. A curse of sorts? It's literally called 'The Grimm Curse.' That isn't sort of a curse. That _is_ a curse. I don't understand why he can think of it any other way. "Willa Grimm had two older sisters and a younger brother, none with children yet. Prince Teague cursed them all, so that their firstborn child - if it was a girl - would be born with a little, black star below their right shoulder blade. Any children they had after would have the same curse on them, so that any descendants they had that had their firstborn child be a girl would have her carry on the Grimm curse. The curse only ends when one of them survives." Prince Teague is suddenly becoming quite scary to me.

He pauses here for breath again. "You see, the curse makes it so that at some point in your life, you will have an incident. Sometimes it's something that would be fatal to anyone. Other times, it's only fatal because of the curse." At least he's not always referring to it as a sort of curse, but I suppose that's too much of a mouthful for him to say every time he mentions it. "And that's when Prince Teague arrives. He offers to save the girl's life, in return for coming for her on her sixteenth birthday and taking her away to try and complete the Grimm curse, which I can't tell you about what exactly happens. It's different for everyone. If the parents or guardian says yes, then the Prince will heal the girl. If they say no, then the girl dies. No matter what they say, if there is a person who was involved in the accident, they-"

"-will be killed." I finish, and Jared raises an eyebrow.

"So you know that part?" He asks.

I nod, biting my lip and blinking away a few tears. "Yup." My voice shakes a little as I say that.

Realizing the effect this is having on me, Jared comes and sits down beside me, pulling me into a hug. I stiffen, calming myself down enough to pull away a little bit. He almost seems a bit disappointed, and then apologizes for my loss, although I suppose that's just out of politeness. "I'm sorry."

I shake my head. "It...It doesn't matter." Desperate to change the subject, I decide to ask two questions. "But you still haven't explained what the Godmothers are like now. They must have changed a bit, seeing as you said Templestiltskin was attacking me, and he was a Godmother. And, while you're answering my questions, what's a trader?

"I'll handle what a trader is first. A trader, essentially, will capture Faes or humans and take them to an 'inbetween zone.' That zone is inbetween the human plane and the Fae plane, as you might've guessed. They then will trade or auction them off there. I have no doubt that if you were taken by a trader, it would be to attract Prince Teague's attention. I scared Templestiltskin when he came with the Guardian threat, but if I wasn't around, they could take you. Of course, he is a different case, as he's a Godmother. They would probably be trying to get money from Prince Teague, or something like that. They're extremely greedy Fae." He frowns. "The Godmothers? Well, they want to murder Grimms. To be more specific, they want to murder the Grimm girls that are that have the actual curse, and that will be taken by Prince Teague. There are a rare few that just want to torture the Grimm in question, but mostly it's all killing. Temple was once a trader, so he's one of the rare, torture ones. That's why I mistook him when he first showed up." Jared sighs again. "The killing is partly to punish the Grimms for Willa's change of heart way back at the competitions, but it's also to prove a point to Prince Teague. That this killing won't stop till he's stopped. They don't kill Grimms. They'll kill anyone who's close to the throne that might impact the Prince."

"Why not do something to impact the Fates?" I question, a little confused.

"Because Prince Teague is the only thing that could be killed that would honestly impact the Fates. They barely even handle any political affairs at this point. Instead, Prince Teague handles them all. So, impacting him is much better for them, and far easier." Jared shakes his head, and looks up at the sky.

I barely even noticed that things were getting darker, but it's sunset now. "Shoot, it's a lot later than I thought." I sigh.

"Let's get you home. You still have to do your history homework." Jared says, grabbing my hand and walking me over to the motorcycle. "Ready to go?"

"Back on the motorcycle?" I groan a little, which just causes Jared to smirk.

"Of course we'd ride back on the motorcycle. How else, Princess?" He is quite pleased, but I groan in response.

"Can we go slower this time?" I request, and that just causes Jared to raise an eyebrow.

He answers that with his own question. "Do you want to take a longer time to get home?"

"No..." I shake my head. "Motorcycle at your illegal speed it is."

* * *

 **That chapter was a little bit shorter than last chapter, but I hope it was still just as good! Hopefully that answers most of your questions, gives you some ideas, and gave you new questions! :D I'd love to hear any suspicions, curiosities, questions, hypothesises, or anything else like that. c: Please review! I'll try and update soon. c;  
**

 **Until I update again!**

 **~ Dagger**


	7. Chapter 6 - Missing and Afraid

**Chapter 6 - Missing and Afraid**

 **Woah woah woah. Two updates in one day? :O That never seems to happen any more with Dagger! Well, guess what? You aren't dreaming, if that was your thought process! cx I am updating twice in a day. Hurrah! I wrote this chapter while watching Once Upon a Time, and spent somewhere over two hours writing and watching. I'm quite pleased with the result! Hopefully you are too. c:**

 **Evx : I hope you're having fun, wherever you are. c: And I'm glad you were able to read the updates, even though you are gone. I'm glad you like the twist, and I agree, Jared _does_ seem to know more than he is letting on. Whether or not we'll find out about that knowledge is yet to be seen. :p I'm glad it's interesting, and that you are left wondering!**

 **09Who knew90 : Once again, your review has brought a big smile to my face. :3 Your reviews are always so long and nice, and it means a lot that you take the time to write reviews that are that long! Thank you for that! I'm glad that you the Godmothers made more sense. c: I'm also glad that Jared is more like Forever Jared! That is super great to hear, as I was aiming for that. c: And indeed, Willa did kill herself to save Teague from becoming book Teague. Whether or not she's Mina - as you suspect - is still up in the air though for you guys. Of course, I know whether she is or not. And yes, Teague deserves pity for this whole situation. He's definitely very torn. I haven't ever read Grey Eyes, so I don't know what exactly that means. cx However, I promise we will find out - eventually - if Mina has time traveled or not in this universe! As for what happens when Teague sees Mina, and if he has her mirror? While, I guess we'll just have to find out, now won't we? :D I promise, we will be getting answers, and whether or not anyone sees it coming will be very interesting! There's a major plot thing that's coming closer and closer and I can't wait to see if anyone sees it coming or not. :3 I'm glad that you're having so many thoughts about the story. I like that my story is provoking lots of questions and theories and the like. And the stuff about Ever will be getting answered this chapter, so you'll find out if you're right or not this chapter. I'm glad the chapter was really good, and the fact that there were no typos is even better! Hurrah!**

 **Enough of my rambling though. cx Let's get on to the story!**

 **Before we go though, I just want to mention that Pri and TJ are both in this chapter. However, I don't remember their appearances very well and seeing as I couldn't get any of the An Unfortunate Fairytale books while I was writing to check, I made different appearances for them. Hopefully you guys are okay with that!**

* * *

 _He frowns. "The Godmothers? Well, they want to murder Grimms. To be more specific, they want to murder the Grimm girls that are that have the actual curse, and that will be taken by Prince Teague. There are a rare few that just want to torture the Grimm in question, but mostly it's all killing. Temple was once a trader, so he's one of the rare, torture ones. That's why I mistook him when he first showed up." Jared sighs again. "The killing is partly to punish the Grimms for Willa's change of heart way back at the competitions, but it's also to prove a point to Prince Teague. That this killing won't stop till he's stopped. They don't kill Grimms. They'll kill anyone who's close to the throne that might impact the Prince."_

 _"Why not do something to impact the Fates?" I question, a little confused._

 _"Because Prince Teague is the only thing that could be killed that would honestly impact the Fates. They barely even handle any political affairs at this point. Instead, Prince Teague handles them all. So, impacting him is much better for them, and far easier." Jared shakes his head, and looks up at the sky._

 _I barely even noticed that things were getting darker, but it's sunset now. "Shoot, it's a lot later than I thought." I sigh._

 _"Let's get you home. You still have to do your history homework." Jared says, grabbing my hand and walking me over to the motorcycle. "Ready to go?"_

 _"Back on the motorcycle?" I groan a little, which just causes Jared to smirk._

 _"Of course we'd ride back on the motorcycle. How else, Princess?" He is quite pleased, but I groan in response._

 _"Can we go slower this time?" I request, and that just causes Jared to raise an eyebrow._

 _He answers that with his own question. "Do you want to take a longer time to get home?"_

 _"No..." I shake my head. "Motorcycle at your illegal speed it is."_

* * *

 _Mina's Point of View_

* * *

Eight days left till Prince Teague and my sixteenth birthday come along, and my world is slowly crumbling.

After my talk with Jared two days ago, he's completely disappeared. It's as if he's dropped off the face of the planet. He hasn't bothered to show up since then to even make sure I'm okay. Seeing as I have absolutely no way of contacting him unless he shows up, I'm stuck with out my guardian when there are people who want to kill me. That spells out doomed.

Ad then, yesterday at school, Nix didn't show up. People don't show up to school all the time though, so that wasn't the weird, upsetting part. The awful part was that nobody even cared. Nix Taylor, one of the most amazing guys ever, has gone off the radar just like Jared, and the world just kept spinning. When I asked the office about it, they said that no one by that name had ever gone to school here. They obviously thought I was crazy for even asking, when I think about the looks on their faces as they skimmed over the files. They obviously knew - except they really didn't know, seeing as Nix _did_ go here - he didn't go here, and were just trying to humor me. I just hurried away after that. I saw Nan Taylor - such a bubbly, lucky blonde girl - after school though, and so I decided to ask _her_ about it. Bad idea. When I did, she looked at me like I'd grown another head and started talking in Russian. Not to mention she said that no one in her family was ever named Nix, and then hurried off to talk to Savannah White - a blonde brat who somehow manages to rule the school, probably because of her money - and the rest of Savannah's cronies, probably to tell them how weird I was.

These thoughts eat at my brain and flitter around as I walk into the lunch room at school today. I go through the lunch line in a sort of daze, absentmindedly grabbing whatever looks edible and slightly appealing, as well as grabbing my usual chocolate milk. It's almost scary that the body can work so well when the brain is somewhere else completely and very distracted. However, as I go to walk to my typical lunch table - where I will now be sitting by myself, instead of with Nix - someone stops me.

"Hey Gimp!" Someone shouts from across the cafeteria. "Grime!"

I spin around to look in their direction, having to convince myself not to go to my table and just ignore them. The only reason I don't ignore them is because it comes from the popular kid table, and today I'm not in the mood to have lunch spilled all over me. However, this doesn't stop me from being frustrated. Grime is the term - I guess you could call it a nickname - that most of the kids at school use when they talk to me or about me. Not Wilhelmina. Not Mina. Not Grimm. Just Grime. It's one of the most aggravating things in the world. I mean, honestly, how did someone take Grimm and get Grime? However, I've never heard anyone say Gimp before, let alone been called that.

The source is a purple-haired girl with a pixie cut. She has unnatural, bubblegum pink eyes - no doubt colored by contacts - and is dressed in a white tank top, as well as a white skirt that's around two inches above her knees. However, her black combat boots throw the whole 'popular girl' vibe out the window. Of course, her table almost balances it out; as I'd realized before, she's sitting with the popular kids. All these kids have been in a seat of power since elementary school, although I don't know most of them. In fact, I only recognize Savannah White and Nan Taylor by name, although I've seen the other girl - not the girl calling to me, but a different one - and the two boys who are seated there.

The purple haired girl beckons with her finger to me. "Come over and sit with us today." She gestures to an open seat across from her, and hesitantly I make my way across the cafeteria to her, and then sit down with my lunch. "I assume you know who we all are, right?"

There's a weird feeling in the air that I can't name now that I'm over here, stopping me from answering right away. It almost feels like whenever Jared and Templestiltskin were around, or even when Nix was around. I have no idea why being around them would feel any different though, so I ignore the feeling and focus on the conversation.

I'm almost embarrassed when I answer the question. "Um, I know _of_ Savannah and Nan. I'm afraid I don't know anyone besides those two though. You'll have to jog my memory, seeing as I should remember them since I went to elementary school with them. I guess I recognize these two since they're blondes, and tend to stick out the most." I don't add that Savannah loves to pick on me specifically, and give a weak smile. I'm honestly becoming rather nervous here though. Why was I asked to come over and sit down? This never happens. It's just not normal.

Pixie cut girl gestures to the boy on my right first, who tilts his head a bit and waves a little. He's got the classic, model blonde hair with blue eyes that match perfectly. "That's Brody Carmichael, who's quite the charmer. He's as rich as he is handsome." I nod to him, and he offers a genuine, nice, sweet smile in return. He seems nice enough.

Pixie cut girl then gestures to the girl on my left, who has dirty blonde hair and forest green eyes. "That there is Pri. She's not the brightest girl to ever live," At that comment, Pri scowls a bit, but pixie cut girl doesn't really seem to notice. If she _does_ notice it, she ignores it and probably could care less, "but she's extremely resourceful and is skilled with pulling off dirty work." No doubt this girl is the queen of gossip. I try to offer her an awkward smile, but she makes a point to turn away. Obviously she didn't want me to be over here.

"On my left," Pixie cut girl gestures to the boy beside her, "is TJ." The boy brushes his black bangs from his eyes, revealing one chocolate brown and one emerald green eye. "He's quite the sports star, except for in water polo. That's Brody's realm." TJ shoots a rather winning smile at me, but I don't respond to it any differently than I do to anyone else. Brody actually looks a bit embarrassed by pixie cut girl's praise. At least he seems humble enough, if that's even possible with a popular boy.

"As for me?" Pixie cut girl shrugs as if she's not very important, but I'm honestly curious. Plus, I need to stop calling her 'Pixie cut girl.' "I'm Ever."

In that instant, all the warning bells start going off in my head. Ever? That's who Jared mentioned was in on the assassination plot that was made to kill Prince Teague. She was a Godmother then, which means she's a Godmother now. Jared also said there was a Godmother at my school, although he hadn't figured out who it was yet. The Godmothers want to kill me, as I've heard from Jared, and also pretty much seen from what happened with Templestiltskin. I'd recognized the name Ever while Jared was telling me his story - although that whole discussion just left me with more questions that I haven't been able to ask since he disappeared - and forgot about the remembering. Now I wish I hadn't, because this is why I recognized the name.

Shoot, she's going to murder me!

"I really should-" I start, but then a chill runs through me, and I stop midsentence as if I'm frozen, eyes trained on Ever.

"You mean _we_ really should be going." Ever 'corrects' me, and stands up. "I hope you didn't forget your promise to help me with my art project, Gimp." Why does she keep calling me that?

Another chill runs through the air, and nobody even questions how I managed to promise that I would help her when I didn't even know her name until maybe two minutes ago. Was it the work of Fae magic? Definitely.

"Let's go, then." The cheeriness in Ever's voice is almost sickening, and I find my lips are frozen shut as she links arms with me and pretty much drags me out of the cafeteria. Not that anyone really seems to care. They just go about their business like I'm fine.

Ever ends up leading me all the way out of the school, and once we're outside and beside the east side of the school, I find that my lips can move again. It doesn't do me much good though, as Ever quickly pushes me against the brick wall and punches me in the jaw.

"Oh _gosh_ , that hurts." I groan, not bothering to try and fight back just yet. I won't stand a chance right now, seeing how the whole fiasco with Templestiltskin went when I tried to fight.

"You're so much like Willa that it makes me sick." Ever manages to chuckle while looking disgusted, and shakes her head. "She was a stupid girl too, except she was stupid in a different way. She fell in love. You were caught off guard by simple, rather easy to detect, Fae magic."

"What are you?" I ask, deciding to disregard her insulting comment and try and get answers instead.

"Don't you have any manners, Gimp?" This time, she knees me in the stomach, and I groan again. This girl might seem small, but she's _strong_.

I ask another question, coughing as I do. "While we're asking questions, why do you keep calling me Gimp?"

Once again, she laughs. "I call you Gimp because that's what I used to call Willa, although you would never understand why. Before, I used it as a fun nickname. Now, I'm using it as an insult." She pauses, and smiles a little bit. "As for what I am? Why, I'm a Fae." Well, no duh.

"So I concluded." I ponder screaming briefly, but quickly deduct from the look that Ever gives me that that won't change anything, except maybe how fast she kills me. And it would only speed up the process. "What specific type of Fae are you? I'm a-"

"-Siren." Ever finishes. "Oh yes, I know _all_ about you, Mina. I've been specifically assigned to you, just like Templestiltskin was. I was assigned longer than him though. I'm your official Fae Godmother." Her slight smile turns into a more sadistic grin. "Did you ever think about being told that? I bet if you did, you thought it would be a good thing to hear that. Well, it's not, and I sure hope you did think like that. I hope you are thoroughly disappointed." I shake my head in amazement that someone can be so horrible, but Ever ignores it. "Anyways, you want to know what type of Fae I am? Well I'll tell you. I'm a pixie. One of the weakest Fae in existence when we're firstborn. We're at the bottom of the food chain. But, we're also magic stealers." She laughs, and grins even wider. "We suck up Fae magic that we're around. It's attracted to us like paperclips to a magnet. Fun, isn't it? I actually originally intended to steal your's before killing you, and if I did that, I would've stolen all of it, not just a small amount like I normally do. However, I can't take your's. The Grimm curse won't allow me to. I'll just have to kill you instead, seeing as it can't stop me from doing that."

"Jared!" I decide this is a good time to scream his name, but Ever looks rather amused.

The hand that Ever is not pinning me against the wall with reaches for my neck. "Calling for your pathetic excuse for a guardian, Gimp?" Is she really back to calling me that? I thought we were maybe making progress. "Maybe you should try calling for the cowardly excuse for a prince instead. Perhaps he'll save you."

I hesitate for a moment, but then shout, "Prince Teague!"

I wait - along with Ever - for a few minutes, but there's no sign of anyone coming. That small hope fades as a deja vu feeling creeps back inside.

Ever grips my neck, starting to cut off my air slowly. "I've been waiting a long time for this. Don't you see? No one cares what happens to you, Gimp. No one is comi-"

"Don't count your chickens before they hatch, _Ever_." A now rather familiar voice comes from behind Ever, and then Jared appears, yanking her backward by wings that have suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

I gasp for air like a fish out of water as I'm released, and out of relief nearly begin to cry. "Jared, you came!"

"You doubted me?" He raises an eyebrow at that. "Of course I came. You didn't have to alert the Prince to your dilemma. I was already on my way when you called for me. I will admit that I wasn't paying as close attention to your mirror as I should've been," My mirror? "but when I realized you were in trouble I came as fast as I could."

"Do you seriously not realize tha-" Ever begins to say something, but her voice is suddenly caught off even though her mouth keeps going. Did Jared just use Fae magic to mute her?

"Close your eyes, Mina. I'm going to handle her."

* * *

 **Alright guy! We'll see the conclusion to this next chapter! Let's hope it doesn't disappoint!**

 **~ Dagger**


	8. Chapter 7 - You Could've Died

**Chapter Seven - You Could've Died**

 **Hey guys! I'm back, with yet another update! I really hope you guys like it, considering I'm really excited to write it. Hopefully it won't disappoint you guys!**

 **09Who knew90 : Haha, I'm glad the review left you in shock! Hopefully there weren't too many details for you to take in. cx That's an interesting theory. Whether or not it's right is yet to be seen. c; And Forever Jared can be quite fun to write, although I have reasons for picking him specifically. As I previously stated, if anyone figures out why I'll be impressed. :p I can't tell you what happened to Nix - besides the fact that he disappeared - or who had anything to do with it, if anyone did. But I will promise that he's not going to be forgotten. He will be back! He is not full nixie in this story though. He has some human blood in him, so he can't become a sea witch. c; I'm glad you like the mystery though! I like adding things that leave readers in suspense and wondering, as you probably figured out. X3 I'm glad that the appearance of Ever was good, and that it gave readers stuff to chew on! I quite enjoyed adding her in. I like that it was a good twist, and yes, Jared did silence her! How he did it is still up in the air though. We'll probably find out how that happened later. ;) As for Mina calling the Dark Prince, you have to remember that her only memory of her - that we know of - is when he was nice and healed her. So, she doesn't really see him as "dark," and we really don't know how dark he is, seeing as the dagger shard was taken out of him by Willa. And I'm totally fine with your long reviews! cx They are super nice and really fun, it's always so nice to see such a nice review on my stories! I know I've said it before, but your reviews always bring a smile to my face. :D I'm glad there were only two typos; the fact that they were common ones is good, although it does irritate me that I made them. xD And I'm glad you've liked the constant updates! On Tuesday, I'll be switching to updating Killer of My Heart for a week, so that should be fun!**

 **Now, let's get to the part everyone wants to get to. The chapter!**

* * *

 _The hand that Ever is not pinning me against the wall with reaches for my neck. "Calling for your pathetic excuse for a guardian, Gimp?" Is she really back to calling me that? I thought we were maybe making progress. "Maybe you should try calling for the cowardly excuse for a prince instead. Perhaps he'll save you."_

 _I hesitate for a moment, but then shout, "Prince Teague!"_

 _I wait - along with Ever - for a few minutes, but there's no sign of anyone coming. That small hope fades as a deja vu feeling creeps back inside._

 _Ever grips my neck, starting to cut off my air slowly. "I've been waiting a long time for this. Don't you see? No one cares what happens to you, Gimp. No one is comi-"_

 _"Don't count your chickens before they hatch, Ever." A now rather familiar voice comes from behind Ever, and then Jared appears, yanking her backward by wings that have suddenly appeared out of nowhere._

 _I gasp for air like a fish out of water as I'm released, and out of relief nearly begin to cry. "Jared, you came!"_

 _"You doubted me?" He raises an eyebrow at that. "Of course I came. You didn't have to alert the Prince to your dilemma. I was already on my way when you called for me. I will admit that I wasn't paying as close attention to your mirror as I should've been," My mirror? "but when I realized you were in trouble I came as fast as I could."_

 _"Do you seriously not realize tha-" Ever begins to say something, but her voice is suddenly caught off even though her mouth keeps going. Did Jared just use Fae magic to mute her?_

 _"Close your eyes, Mina. I'm going to handle her."_

* * *

 _Mina's Point of View_

* * *

For once in my life, I do as I'm told without any hesitation. I scrunch my eyes shut, and somehow manage to keep them closed as a scream filled with pain rips through the air. No doubt the source is Ever, although I feel no pity for her. In fact, as much as I hate to admit it, I'm quite happy that she's suffering, even though I can't see it. The amount of Fae magic in the air is practically suffocating though. It's absolutely awful.

And then - nowhere near as slowly as it came - all the magic just seems to disappear from around me.

I wait one minute. Then two. Then three. There's not a single sound besides the wind blowing through the trees, and the silence is almost as frightening as the screaming had become, when I thought about what Jared must've been doing to invoke such pain. But, taking the silence as a cue that it's finished, I decide to risk opening my eyes. What I see takes me completely by surprise though, because I see the school yard. That's not the surprising part though.

The surprising part is the fact that I'm now the only one standing outside. Jared and Ever are both gone. I expected Ever to be gone, of course. But Jared? I thought he would stay and make sure I was okay. Where could he have gone?

"Jared?" I call out, scared and confused. "Jared!"

My only response is the wind, as it continues to rustle the leaves on the trees. He left me. He saved my life and didn't even bother to make sure I was okay afterwards. What is wrong with him? Does he not have any manners? I need to talk to him!

* * *

 _Four days later..._

* * *

I'm now on my fourth day of trying to get Jared to show up, and I've tried practically everything. I have to talk to him, especially after the whole Ever situation. I wanted to talk to him before that, of course, but now that I haven't had a proper conversation with him for six days, I'm starting to get irritated. He's avoiding me. That's the only thing I can think of. But why? That's what I don't understand. He's my guardian. As much as I didn't want it before, after the whole issue with Templestiltskin, I decided that I definitely needed one.

Day one, I just tried calling for him a lot after school. I didn't know what else to do, seeing as I don't normally have to handle stuff like this. Day two, I didn't even bother to go to school, even though it was a Friday. What did it matter? After all, it wasn't like my mom would care. She generally leaves me to my own devices. She probably came up with some excuses for me not showing up anyways, so I didn't have to worry about that. On day three - yesterday - I didn't even bother to just try screaming for Jared. I called for the Prince Teague too. I didn't even just call for them. I cried. I begged. I pleaded. I screamed. I shouted. I even asked for Prince Teague to take me now and not wait for my sixteenth birthday, so that I could just get it over with. If Jared didn't intend on showing up, I wanted to just start the stupid curse. I did every little thing possible, and yet neither of the two responded. They didn't even bother to show up for even a split second, to let me know that I'm not forgotten. It hurts even now, and so today I stayed holed up in my home for awhile, and then I devised a plan. If they didn't want to come, I'd get their attention myself.

After all this time in my home, I came up with a plan to get their attention, or die trying. And I mean that quite literally.

I'd grabbed my bike, and I'd taken off, out of my mom's property and through the town, to the outskirts. It'd taken me awhile to find a good place to do it, but after wandering through the woods for awhile, I found a tree that would serve my purposes. I'd climbed upwards, and sat on a branch that was as high as I dared to go without snapping one. That would be one way to pull this off, of course, but I'd prefer to have some say in when this happens. I slowly climb outwards a bit, and the limb sways a bit. I'll admit, it's frightening. I've always hated tree climbing, ever since I fell as a child from one and caused my dad to be killed. Tears pricking at my eyes from sadness and fear, I stand up and grab the branch above me to steady myself.

"Alright, Jared." I whisper, deciding to address him alone instead of addressing both Prince Teague and him. "You want to play this game the hard way? Fine then, we'll play this game the hard way." I shake my head rather condescendingly as I speak. "You can stay silent and watch me plunge downwards, which will probably be cause me to die rather painfully," I pause for dramatic effect, "or you can come out and explain yourself to me, as well as save me from bestowing this fate upon myself." Hesitating for a moment, I add something else. "You wouldn't want me to die after all the trouble Prince Teague and you have gone through to keep me alive, would you?"

There's no reply, although to be honest I wasn't expecting one. I expect I'll get one when I actually try to pull off my threat though. The question is, will he come through and save my life?

"I'm going to do it!" I shout this time, staring upwards.

There's still no reply, and I shake my head. He really is stubborn. Does he not believe that I'll go through with this? Because I fully intend to, and he'd better hope he's fast when I do.

"Fine then." And on that note, I walk off the branch.

Barely a second later, strong arms grab me and pull me backwards - rather painfully - on to a sturdy branch. He actually came. I let out an inward sigh of relief, although I don't dare do out loud for fear that he'd hear it. I was worried that he wouldn't come, and that I'd signed my fate. I'd thought that I'd be okay with dying, but the moment I walked off and stared it in the face for that one second, I realized that I was not prepared in any way for death.

"Wilhelmina Grimm, what on _earth_ do you think you're doing?" The angry voice of Jared hits my ears, and he doesn't bother to release me from his hold, as if he's afraid that I'll try and finish my crazy stunt. Not that I intend to.

I've never heard him so angry before. And yet, the awful deja vu feeling I've been getting recently creeps in again, nagging at the back of my mind. I can't figure out why though. Like always. Deja vu doesn't ever make sense to me anymore, although I guess it never really did before. Pushing it from my mind, I turn myself around and avoid Jared's gaze.

"Mina, answer me!" Jared's furious words almost scare me as he moves one hand to move my chin up so that I look him in the eye. "What do you think you were playing at, trying to pull a stunt like that?"

"The only time you've shown up after you started ignoring me was when I was going to be killed. And that was the _only_ reason you showed up." My voices raises a little bit. "When you disappear for pretty much four days - not counting the two days before the Ever incident - and don't come no matter now many times I call for you or your Prince, I decided that I would have to find a way to make you come."

Jared apparently isn't satisfied by this answer though. "So you were going to kill yourself if I didn't come? Do you realize how stupid that logic is? If I hadn't shown up in time - or hadn't shown up at all - you would've actually died, Princess!"

"How was I supposed to get you to show up otherwise?" I argue, and my voice raises to a shout as I go, seeing as I become more and more furious. If I wanted to, I bet I could pull of a Siren Call right now. "You were acting like you couldn't care less about what happened to me, Jared! It was as if I didn't exist in your mind anymore! You went from checking in on me practically every hour to never showing up at all!" I decide not to mention that I was terrified. I'm too mad at him to add in that fact.

The reaction Jared has is one you would imagine he'd have if I'd slapped him across the face, and his voice quakes a little as he whispers, "I'm sorry."

"You-" I start to shout, still angry. But then I stop, because my mind register what he said, and I manage to calm down enough to talk at a normal sound level, although my voice is a little bit higher than usual due to anger. "What did you just say?"

"I'm sorry that I was ignoring you." He apologizes again, although this time he explains the apology more. He avoids my gaze as he does so. "I found that I was becoming too attached to you, Princess. The fact is that I can't have that happen. So, I decided that if I wasn't seeing you as much - if I only came when it was _absolutely_ necessary - I would fix things. But it didn't. In fact, it made things even worse for me. I couldn't do that."

"What do you mean?" I bite my lip.

"I was intending to try and work up the nerve to apologize to you today before you decided to pull of your crazy way to try and get my attention." He sighs, running a hand through his hair. "Ignoring you wasn't working. But, I figured something else out."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I raise an eyebrow, growing rather confused. "What did you figure out, Jared?"

"I figured out a way to get past the curse, Princess." Jared's face is pretty much an inch - maybe two - away from mine, and I can feel his breathe. I'm completely frozen, unsure of what to do. "There's an area that Prince Teague won't be able to get into. If we can get there, you won't have to go. We can stay there. But we have to leave now, or there's no way we can make it. And even if we did go now, we might not make it." He frowns, biting his lip. "That is, if you want to go."

"If I let Prince Teague take me, I'm never going to see you again, am I?" I ask, the realization only just dawning on me.

"You probably wouldn't see me, no." He sighs, staring at his feet.

It doesn't take me too long to get an answer. "I don't want that. You're my guardian, and I don't think I'll be able to cope without you after everything that has happened. I denied it before. But now, I realize that I _do_ need someone to help protect me. Let's go, Jared."

"Do you need anything?" He asks, but I shake my head the moment after the question leaves his mouth.

"Nope." My heart almost breaks when I answer him, because I realize how pitiful it sounds. "I don't have anything of value."

"Your bike is near here, right?" He asks, and I nod. "Good. Let's go there. I can turn it into a truck," I'm relieved to hear him say that and not a motorcycle, "and we'll drive there. Hopefully we'll make it. But before we go," That doesn't sound good, "I need to make sure you understand one thing."

"Okay." I ask, a bit nervous.

"If we don't make it in time, Prince Teague _will_ take you. And when he does, there's no telling what his reaction will be. Are you willing to risk his wrath?" It's a genuine question, and when I think about it, I find that I'm a bit frightened.

And yet - at the same time - I'm not. "Let's worry about that hurdle if it comes."

* * *

 **Woah, Mina is running** _ **away**_ **from the curse? How do you guys think that'll go? Will she succeed? Or will Prince Teague catch her? And if Prince Teague does catch them, how do you think he'll react? Also, what did you think of this entire chapter? Hopefully it wasn't disappointing. c: I'll be interested to see if any of you guys hate Jared now though. cx**

 **Please review! I'll try and update at least once tomorrow. c; Until next time! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

 **~ Dagger**


	9. Chapter 8 - As The World Falls Down

**Chapter Eight - As The World Falls Down**

 **Hey guys! I'm back, with yet another update! I'm hoping you guys will enjoy it. This chapter will have a time skip in it - like last chapter - but both halves will hopefully be moderate in length, if not better, so hopefully its okay. c;**

 **09Who knew90 : It's fine! I almost forget sometimes too, so I'm glad he hasn't entered the story yet in case I forgot while writing. cx It's fine that you forgot! It happens to everyone. c; And yes, he probably does know. So yes, Mina is kind of scared by it. But at the same time, considering Jared won't tell her exactly what this curse is going to entail, she can only rely on her mom and I think Mina doesn't completely believe her. I'm glad that you loved last chapter! I'm excited to see what you'll think of this chapter, seeing as Jared and Mina are gonna run away. And indeed, Teague will probably be unpredictable. :p How that affects Mina and Jared? Well, we'll just have to find out. And haha, I can't tell you why Forever Jared is what I was aiming for. c: You'll find out though...Eventually. As for whether or not this is a trap by Jared like in Fairest? I can't say. We'll just have to read and find out if you're right! And yes, poor Mina with no one to bring. ;-; I can't say what Jared's motives are, but we'll find out...eventually. I'm glad there were no typos! And ah, I forgot it was Valentine's Day too! cx Happy Late Valentine's Day to you (and to anyone else who reads my rambling/the story). c; It's totally fine. I feel like I might remember which one you're talking about, but I can normally figure out what people mean in their reviews, so it's fine. :3 I'm glad you still love the constant updates! I'm hoping to get two updates today on Little Black Star, but I'll settle for one if I can't make a second, good one. c: And I'm excited to see your reaction to Killer of My Heart updates! I actually have an outline of what I need to cover in all the chapters to get to the end, so I will be excited to see if I can finish that story up or not in it's "week of updates."**

 **Now? On with the show!**

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 _"What's that supposed to mean?" I raise an eyebrow, growing rather confused. "What did you figure out, Jared?"_

 _"I figured out a way to get past the curse, Princess." Jared's face is pretty much an inch - maybe two - away from mine, and I can feel his breathe. I'm completely frozen, unsure of what to do. "There's an area that Prince Teague won't be able to get into. If we can get there, you won't have to go. We can stay there. But we have to leave now, or there's no way we can make it. And even if we did go now, we might not make it." He frowns, biting his lip. "That is, if you want to go."_

 _"If I let Prince Teague take me, I'm never going to see you again, am I?" I ask, the realization only just dawning on me._

 _"You probably wouldn't see me, no." He sighs, staring at his feet._

 _It doesn't take me too long to get an answer. "I don't want that. You're my guardian, and I don't think I'll be able to cope without you after everything that has happened. I denied it before. But now, I realize that I do need someone to help protect me. Let's go, Jared."_

 _"Do you need anything?" He asks, but I shake my head the moment after the question leaves his mouth._

 _"Nope." My heart almost breaks when I answer him, because I realize how pitiful it sounds. "I don't have anything of value."_

 _"Your bike is near here, right?" He asks, and I nod. "Good. Let's go there. I can turn it into a truck," I'm relieved to hear him say that and not a motorcycle, "and we'll drive there. Hopefully we'll make it. But before we go," That doesn't sound good, "I need to make sure you understand one thing."_

 _"Okay." I ask, a bit nervous._

 _"If we don't make it in time, Prince Teague will take you. And when he does, there's no telling what his reaction will be. Are you willing to risk his wrath?" It's a genuine question, and when I think about it, I find that I'm a bit frightened._

 _And yet - at the same time - I'm not. "Let's worry about that hurdle if it comes."_

* * *

 _Mina's Point of View_

* * *

We've been driving for awhile now. We drove all of Sunday - right into Monday - and we're still going. I slept in the car, but Jared doesn't seem to need any sleep at all. What type of Fae is he? How does he survive without sleeping? I really hope he doesn't do anything stupid because he actually _is_ tired, like make us crash. Sometimes we've talked, but generally the drive has been silent.

However, with all this time to think and reflect, I've had time to think more deeply. Maybe it's just because Jared is so close, but I've been thinking a lot about the deja vu I've been feeling. I get it a _ton_ when Jared is around, and from the oddest things at times too. That's not even counting the odd behavior he has at times. I've started to draw one conclusion when I think through all the facts, but I have no idea what to do with it. I might just be over analyzing everything, but now I really need to know if I'm right or not.

The only way to do that is to ask.

"Jared...?" I look over at him, but he keeps his eyes on the road.

"Yes, Princess?" While he doesn't look over - which I have to admit, is good seeing as he's the driver - I can tell that he's paying attention to me.

Now I'm kind of nervous to say anything about my conclusion, and I find myself beginning to beat around the bush. "I have a question."

"I figured that's why you asked my name instead of just saying it." A bit of amusement slips into his voice, and I swear I start sweating when it does. He's taking the fact that I'm nervous to ask him something so casually, where as I'm shaking a little.

"D-Did we know each other?" I ask, and I can see Jared stiffen.

"What?" He sounds confused when I ask, but I notice his grip tighten on the wheel.

I decide to rephrase the question, as it wasn't what I wanted to ask exactly. "Have we met before?"

"Why would you think that?" He's not trying to answer my question. He's avoiding it and asking one of his own.

"I keep getting these odd senses of deja vu." Even as I say it, I get the feeling. "Strangely enough, most of the time it's only when you are around. So, I decided to ask. Is there a time before you gave me the tip for throwing my knives that we met? And not just one time. Are there multiple times?"

"I don't understand." He shakes his head.

"I think you do, Jared. Have I met you before? Did we know each other before then?" I ask, becoming even more insistent.

"Mina, wouldn't you remember if we had?" He shoots another question back at me, and I frown at this.

I would, wouldn't I? Unless Fae magic was involved, like it was at my school. "I dunno..."

"But, to answer your question, no. We haven't." I'm almost disappointed.

"We haven't?" I ask, as if to make sure that's what he really means.

"No." He repeats, and then says, "Jared and Wilhelmina Grime have never met before I showed up to you in the woods while you were throwing knives."

* * *

 _Time skip to three days later_

* * *

"Jared?" I whimper, staring at the wrecked car as I stand beside him. "What are we going to do?"

"We would've made it, if I hadn't crashed the car." He says, pacing for a moment. "I can't believe I was stupid enough to manage that!"

"Jared..." I plead, grabbing his arm and forcing him to look at me. "What are we going to do? It's almost sundown. You said that was when the Prince planned to come."

He nods. "It is. He always comes at sundown."

"Then we have to go!" I'm starting to sound a bit desperate. "Jared, if we stand here much longer, then there is going to be no chance whatsoever of us making it."

"Princess, we're going to need a miracle as it is." Jared shakes his head, looking so defeated that it hurts my heart.

"We can still make it!" I respond, staring up at him.

"No, we can't! Don't you understand? Without a car, we will never make it!" He's starting to gt angry with me, and I swear I almost begin to cry. Why is he so mad now? What did I do wrong?

"We have to try!" I respond, and the upset feeling that's been growing inside me vanishes, only to be replaced with anger.

"We will never make it." He shakes his head, sitting down a log.

My voice raises. "Make a car, then!" I'd try myself, but I've never been able to do something that big, and it took me ages to even be able to make weapons that worked properly with Fae magic.

"I'm not a genie in a bottle, Princess!" He shouts back, putting his head in his hands.

"You...You know what?" I'm shaking due to my anger, and also due to fear. I've only see Jared this mad once, and that was only for two minutes after I tried to kill myself. However, I've come up with a plan that might not work, but it's all I have. What is that plan? It's for me to try and get there myself. If I follow the road, I'm sure I'll find it. The only question is if I'll make it in time. "Fine! Be that way! I don't need your help."

Spinning on my heel, I begin to head in the direction we had been going. I brush some hair from my face angrily, and I'm walking right now. Mainly because I know Jared will try and get me to come back.

Right on cue, I hear Jared. "Mina, it's not safe for you to go by yourself!"

"I'm not going to stick around with someone who gives up so easily!" I shout back over my shoulder. "Have fun with your car crash, _Jared_. I'll drop you postcard if I make it to where _we_ were going. And if I don't? Well, I'm sure Prince Teague will love talking to you about you convincing me to run away from the curse."

And on that note, before Jared can respond, I begin to run.

I push myself to run for around five minutes, before it's too painful and I have to go to a jog. I can see the sun beginning to set, but I keep trying to jog. After awhile, I go to walking, holding my side which hurts more than words can survive. I'm panting, but I keep going anyways. I have to make it. If I don't, I'll never make it. Finally, I see the entrance to the safe place. A blue, shimmery wall, which is actually a dome according to Jared. Once I'm in there, I'm safe.

Except the sun begins to set right as I see it.

Even if I couldn't see it, I would know it set, because I can hear Jared - I don't know how - in my head. "I'm sorry." And I somehow know that it's a sincere apology. But what exactly is he apologizing for? Because there's a long list. Unless he's apologizing for everything?

I begin to run towards the wall. I'm so close though! Tears streak down my cheeks, but as I run towards it I realize something. Who exactly am I even running to now? No one. When I was running _with_ Jared, it was going to make a difference, because Jared would be there when we arrived. I was going to lose my friend if I didn't run. But now? Nobody is going to be there. I'm running for absolutely no reason. I already lost Jared, after all. And so, I stop.

Not that it would really matter, because I end up plowing right into someone maybe three feet from the bubble-wall-thing.

"You're pretty brave, throwing yourself into my arms." The voice makes my heart ache when I hear it. It sounds so much like Jared's, but it's different. I remember hearing it before though, after I fell from the tree.

I try to take a step back, but I'm held fast by his arms. "And you have some nerve, claiming that I've thrown myself into your arms."

He gives a light chuckle, and releases me as he steps back. Now, I get a good look at him, and he's just like I remember. He has icy blue eyes that chill the soul, and almost give you the feeling that he can see exactly what's going on inside your head. His black hair is a mess, but it's the drop-dead-gorgeous kind of mess that people - me included - think is attractive. He's dressed head to toe in black - which reminds me yet again of Jared, making my heart hurt even more - although unlike the first time I saw him, he doesn't have gloves or a cape. When I think about it, he almost looks like a normal person, except for the fact that he's dressed in black.

He chuckles at my comment. "You certainly have a tongue. But tell me, do you have claws?"

"I'd rather keep my life in tact for now." I cross my arms, looking Prince Teague in the eyes. "If I showed you those claws, I'd be signing my fate."

"Fair enough." He laughs for a moment, but then becomes rather serious. "Of course, you were fine with playing around with your life, what, five days ago? And if you wanted to keep your life in tact, you would've thought of that before you ran."

"You're going to kill me?" I swear I nearly have a heart attack. Jared said Prince Teague would be mad. But I never imagined he'd be mad enough to kill me!

"No." He shakes his head, and I let out a sigh of relief. "But you might wish I had."

That stops me dead in my tracks. "Jared wouldn't tell me what the Grimm curse entails. No one would. I just know it's going to be awful. What exactly is it...?"

"Patience, my dear Mina." I don't know how I feel about him calling me that. "Patience. You'll find out in due time what the final phase of the curse - the worst part - entails. But, for now, I believe you're to come with me." He extends a hand. "The question is, are you ready?"

I have a feeling he'll take me even if I say I'm not. "Yes."

Taking his hand, I can only hope that I haven't made a mistake.

* * *

 **Woah, what did you guys think of all of that? Was it good? Bad? I'm excited to see what the opinions are on this chapter, seeing as we have different things to think about! Next chapter we'll be seeing the Fae plane, a bit more of Prince Teague, and finding out something - hopefully - that might make a few heads spin!  
**

 **Until next time! Please review if you read this story, so I can see everyone's opinion on this!**

 **Also, I just want to thank Evx and 09Who knew90, because I feel like I don't thank them enough. You guys are the reason I keep writing this story! c; Your reviews are always inspiring. It's definitely the fans in this fandom that keep the fanfictions alive. It's such a good community, that seems like a family.**

 **~ Dagger**


	10. Chapter 9 - What A Painful Sting

**Chapter Nine - What A Painful Sting**

 **Hey guys! Once again, Dagger has managed to update twice in a day! :O Amazing, isn't it? cx Anyways, this will probably be my last update on this for a little while, seeing as the end of this week is upon us. However, if any of you read Killer of My Heart, that's going to be next, and I'll be excited to see if I manage to complete it or not in that time! Whatever the case though, I hope you guys won't mind being left hanging on this story for a little while.**

 **09Who knew90 : I'm glad that it was an amazing twist! ^-^ I'm also glad that last chapter was amazing, and that Prince Teague was Teague-y. As for Jared? Well, I can't tell you what exactly is going on with him. :p What exactly he did and didn't know will be seen soon, maybe even this chapter. cx As for Teague taking Mina early? I didn't even realize that was the case. I thought I'd done the math correctly on the day, but maybe I didn't? I can't tell you what Jared did or didn't intend, but I will tell you one thin- actually, I'll let the Story tell you that. c; I'm glad that Prince Teague coming fit together so well! And I'm glad there was only one typo. c: And haha, well I'll keep thanking you for reviews either way. ;3 I would've responded to more of the review and had something a bit longer here, but if I did I would probably end up giving stuff away. That would not be good. xp I definitely agree on this fandom seeing much more like a family than others; I tried writing a 39 clues fanfiction - which is kind of just collecting dust, as I haven't felt inspired to continue it - and the community seemed a lot more critical and not really as friendly. I'm glad it's better here!**

 **Now, how about I stop my rambling and we get on to actual story? cx**

* * *

 _He gives a light chuckle, and releases me as he steps back. Now, I get a good look at him, and he's just like I remember. He has icy blue eyes that chill the soul, and almost give you the feeling that he can see exactly what's going on inside your head. His black hair is a mess, but it's the drop-dead-gorgeous kind of mess that people - me included - think is attractive. He's dressed head to toe in black - which reminds me yet again of Jared, making my heart hurt even more - although unlike the first time I saw him, he doesn't have gloves or a cape. When I think about it, he almost looks like a normal person, except for the fact that he's dressed in black._

 _He chuckles at my comment. "You certainly have a tongue. But tell me, do you have claws?"_

 _"I'd rather keep my life in tact for now." I cross my arms, looking Prince Teague in the eyes. "If I showed you those claws, I'd be signing my fate."_

 _"Fair enough." He laughs for a moment, but then becomes rather serious. "Of course, you were fine with playing around with your life, what, five days ago? And if you wanted to keep your life in tact, you would've thought of that before you ran."_

 _"You're going to kill me?" I swear I nearly have a heart attack. Jared said Prince Teague would be mad. But I never imagined he'd be mad enough to kill me!_

 _"No." He shakes his head, and I let out a sigh of relief. "But you might wish I had."_

 _That stops me dead in my tracks. "Jared wouldn't tell me what the Grimm curse entails. No one would. I just know it's going to be awful. What exactly is it...?"_

 _"Patience, my dear Mina." I don't know how I feel about him calling me that. "Patience. You'll find out in due time what the final phase of the curse - the worst part - entails. But, for now, I believe you're to come with me." He extends a hand. "The question is, are you ready?"_

 _I have a feeling he'll take me even if I say I'm not. "Yes."_

 _Taking his hand, I can only hope that I haven't made a mistake._

* * *

 _Mina's Point of View_

* * *

I swear I nearly puke when Prince Teague pulls me across the planes with the help of the seam ripper. It makes me sick, and as I hold my stomach I can hear him chuckle.

"I'd ask you if you're alright, but I can tell that you aren't." Still chuckling, he gives me a moment to compose myself - allowing him some time to stop being so amused as well - before he continues. "Seeing as you've been driving around for your entire sixteenth birthday, I'll leave this up to you. Would you rather go sleep, or celebrate a bit?"

"You mean I'm not starting the curse right away?" I ask, dumbfounded.

Teague looks shocked. "You must think that I'm cruel, if you think that I'd make you start right away." If I'm honest, I can't say that I don't think he's cruel, after what I've heard, but the time I actually met him he was really nice. "You get a day before you start, so generally speaking the girl in question starts at sun down after she arrives. Since you ran though, it's a bit shortened. Whenever you wake up tomorrow, we'll start."

"Fantastic." I mutter, biting my lip.

"It's not like I made you run." There seems to be more behind that statement, but I can't figure out what. So, I ignore it. "Now, back to my question. Would you rather go to sleep, or celebrate your birthday?"

"I'll take rest, thank you very much. It sounds like I'll need it." I respond, and Prince Teague grabs my hand.

"Alrighty then." With a snap of his fingers, we're no longer standing in the woods. Instead, we're standing in a luxurious, white room. Literally everything in it is white except for me and the Prince, who looks quite out of place in his black get up. "This is where you'll be sleeping. Tomorrow, I'll provide you with more suitable clothing for what you'll be going through."

And on that ominous note, he disappears, and I'm left to my own devices in here. I guess technically I could run, but I'm sure there's things in place to keep that from happening. Not that I would run. There's no point in it, seeing as I have nowhere to go. So, I flop down on the bed, and drift off to sleep.

 _"She knows too much, Mrs. Grimm." I sit on the stairs inside the Grimm mansion, listening intently to the conversation commencing. They don't realize I'm listening though. They think I'm sitting outside on the porch, waiting. Of course, I never intended on doing that, because he_ never _wants to talk to my mother. The fact that he does makes me nervous. "I'm going to have to wipe her memory."_

 _"And how much are you wiping, exactly?" My mother responds, and I'm not sure where to peg her response when it comes to the emotion._

 _I can almost hear the frown in his voice as he pauses. "I suppose wiping is the wrong word. I would just be..._ altering _it. Ever since I've arrived, she's learned too much, and connected too many dots. She knows who I am, and I'm positive she'll figure out some way to use that to her advantage when things start to get tough. I don't need that sort of weakness. She can't remember that we ever had interactions before the normal two week point. We weren't even supposed to, but that stupid pixie interfered with it..."_

 _"She's actually quite intelligent." My mother's reply shocks me._

 _Apparently, it shocks him too, because his response is frustrated. "Please tell me you weren't actually stupid enough to try and hire her to kill Mina."_

 _"That child is nothing but a nuisance. I want her to be gone. Why can't you just have her taken now?" It stings, to hear my mom say that, and tears prick at my eyes._

 _"Because that's not the way this works! She has to be more grown up. And because you've gotten that pixie to become her official Godmother - and because I haven't managed to catch her since she tried to kill Mina - Charlie, your beloved son, will be mute. Not that he has really spoken very much already, but that was your fault, not mine." The angry response terrifies me even more than hearing about my memory possibly being altered, although even that is still only just starting to sink in._

 _"You can't do that!" My mom sounds like she's going to shriek, and I don't want to hear her do that. Siren Calls hurt my ear, even though when I get mad enough I can pull one off._

 _"Yes, actually, I can." The furious reply comes, and he adds, "I don't even care if I have your permission to alter her memories to not include me or not anymore. I'm going to do it either way."_

 _"You act like it's to protect her. I think it's to protect her." My mom snaps at him, and then I hear footsteps._

 _Gray eyes meet mine as he turns the corner, and he runs a hand through his black hair, obviously shocked. "M-Mina? What are you doing inside?"_

 _"You're going to alter my memory?" My voice quivers as I whisper the words to him._

 _"So you don't remember me. Yes." His response is quiet, and he takes my hand. "I'll be back though."_

 _"You're my only friend!" I cry, throwing my arms around him. I may be thirteen, but I'm a child at heart._

 _He sighs, and a hand touches my head. "I have to do this though."_

 _"Princ-" I don't get to finish the statement, because everything violently shifts and spins, and suddenly I'm not in my house anymore._

 _"Hello?" I call out, looking around me. I'm in a pitch black...room, I guess. Or space. Space seems safer, since I don't know what I'm in. "Is anyone there?"_

 _A sort of twisted laugh hits the air, and I spin around, trying to find the source. I can't see anyone though, and I'll admit that I'm starting to panic. Who made that sound? My answer comes quickly, when someone behind me grabs my neck._

 _"I might've failed twice, but I won't this time." The hiss of Ever - who sounds much more frightening now - comes as she tightens her hold on my neck. "There's no one here to save you now, is there?"_

 _"Please!" I choke out. "Please, somebody, save me!"_

 _My vision starts to go black, and then she vanishes like smoke. I'm now standing in a field, where a beautiful, crystal clear stream bubbles. I walk over, smiling a little when I see it. But then, the water takes on a crimson quality, and I gasp. What just happened? When I turn my head, I can see there's somebody laying in the water. Is somebody injured?_

 _I run over, and instantly I wish I hadn't as I sink to my knees, covering my mouth to try and muffle my scream._ Nix _is laying in the stream, coloring it red with the blood from a wound on his neck. His red hair is all wet, and that's not even showing his clothing.  
_

 _As I begin to cry, I try to shake him. "Nix! Nix! Nix, answer me! Please!"_

 _There's no response from him though, and then the stream bubbles into a river, pulling him away._

 _"No, Nix, no!" I scream, standing waste deep in the water as his body is ripped away. "Nix, come back! No! Please!"_

 _I can feel myself starting to get dragged under, and gasp when my lungs fill with water. Lungs. Normally when I go underwater, my gills emerge. But they don't this time. I claw at my neck, trying to pull myself upwards. It doesn't work though, and I find that the more I try, the further down I go. When I try to scream, more water comes in._

 _Suddenly, air bursts in as I find myself in a room that seems to be made of gold, although there's practically nothing in it. There's a golden throne in the middle though, and someone is sitting in it. I can't see who though. I walk around slowly, and when I see who it is, I gasp._

 _"Miss me, love?" Templestiltskin stands up, dressed in gold like he was when I met him before._

 _"You!" I back up, but the walls of this room have suddenly come much closer, and the throne has disappeared. "Jared got rid of you!"_

 _"So you hoped." He reaches out with an ungloved hand, touching the strand of hair he touched before. It turns to gold, and I cry out in pain, because this time it hurts. Actually, it doesn't just hurt. It_ burns _. "But I'm afraid it will take a lot more than that to get rid of me."  
_

 _Then, he touches my face. It feels like all of me is on fire, and slowly I find that I can move less and less. It's getting hard to breathe, and when I do, it hurts. I want to cry out, but I can't move my lips at all. My silent screaming fills my own ears, but no one else's._

 _And then, like everything else so far, the scene slips away, to be replaced with the lunch room at school. However, it looks like something you'd see in a horror game. The lights are mainly off, although there are a few flicking on and off here and there. The eerie silence fills the entire room, and it's almost suffocating. There's not a person in sight. I walk around the room, touching each table and frowning.  
_

 _"Going somewhere, Grimes?" I turn around to be faced with none other but Savannah._

 _Except, she's not her typical 'Savannah looking' self. Her golden hair is a mess of tangles, looking more like a rat's nest than a brat's stunning hair. Her sapphire-colored eyes seem almost void of emotion. But what takes the cake is the deranged smile on her face. That just makes the whole 'creepy factor' go up from one hundred to a million._

 _"W-What's it to you?" The quiver in my voice causes me to back up a step, but Savannah just steps closer._

 _I can see now that she's closer that her mascara is running down her face, and her lipstick is a darkish purple that almost makes her lips look bruised. The creepy factor is climbing upwards. That's not to mention the cut above her left eye that I can now see. What on earth happened?_

 _"Nothing." I frown when she says this. What? "Seeing as you won't be."_

 _"Why do you say tha-" I don't get a chance to finish, because she punches me in the face, and it sends me spiraling through the wall._

 _I go plummeting downwards through the dark, and I try to scream when I do. At the speed I'm going though, I can't even hear it. So, I flail my arms instead, trying to figure out what I can do to slow my descent. Things fly past me - going up - almost like in Alice in Wonderland, but I can't manage to grab any. Tea cups, tables, pictures, flowers, a cow, and other things fly past, but they're all too fast. The one time I manage to grab a top hat, it slips right through my fingers, as if it's not even there. When I finally land, every part of me is screaming in pain. Again. That's a common theme right now, isn't it? Once again, I find myself in the Grimm house. This time, it's dead silent though. I'm standing at the top of the stairs that lead from the first floor down to the ground floor. Hesitant now, I creep down them, cringing at how loud they are. When I turn the corner, I scream again. My_ father _is laying on the ground, like he was the day Prince Teague came._

 _This time, he's not dead yet, but he's on his last, dying breathe. And he uses it to say one thing, "This is your fault."_

 _I sink to my knees as the light fades from his eyes, tears streaking my cheeks as my knees hit the cold, kitchen floor. "No! No, it's not! Please, Dad, I didn't mean for this to happen! I didn't choose any of it! Just come back! Make it better!"_

 _"It's your fault, Wilhelmina. All of it." I hear her before I see her, and when I turn, there's my mother._

 _I begin to cry even harder, shaking my head. "N-No, no, it's not!"_

 _"It is! You foolish, stupid, little girl. I wish you'd never even came into existence. You've brought nothing but misery upon my family." She's acting like I'm not even her's! "You are worthless trash and a pathetic excuse for a creature. You don't even belong on this plane, because you're fully Fae and you've never learned how to fit in. You have no friends. After all, who would want to be friends with a freakish nobody like you?"_

 _"P-Please stop." I plead, shaking my head even harder._

 _A malicious glint entering her eyes, she opens her mouth to continue. And then, she falls down, and the entire ground swings down like a trapdoor from underneath me. While she and my father slip down, I find myself standing as if I'm still on the ground, even though it's definitely not underneath me. I don't dare move though, in case I do and I end up falling instead. Everything has turned black yet again._

 _"Hello up there!" I look down to find a small looking girl standing there. I can't make out the details though, and so I squat down to try and look better. Another, taller girl stands beside her, but she doesn't speak. Instead, the first girl calls up again, "Do you need help?"_

 _"I-I'm not sure!" I call back._

 _After everything that's happened so far, I'm hesitant to approach anyone._

 _"Jump down!" The same girl calls. "I've done it myself! I promise, you'll be fine!"_

 _So, far some reason unknown to me, I decide to believe her. I come flying downwards at a breathtaking speed, but when I land my legs crumble beneath me. The pain that crackles through them makes me aware that it's possible that I broke them. Not good._

 _Forcing myself to stand up, I turn around and scream. Again. The second girl is dangling from a_ noose _in front of me, very much dead. Her pointed ears suggest that she's an elf, but I can't make out anymore details. Except for the dagger in her hands, which promptly disappears._

 _"Was that fun?" I turn around to find the first girl in front of me, and she's speaking. Up close, she doesn't look quite as pleasant. She's small, and I think she might be a dwarf. Or a gnome. "This will be just as fun."_

 _She raise the dagger I saw just moments ago, and I scream. "Jared!"_

 _The dagger plunges into my chest, and I fall to the ground. The gnome-dwarf-girl disappears like smoke, and I'm left lying there, watching myself bleed. And then, the world spins around me, causing me to almost puke, but I'm still in a pitch black room. The dagger disappears, as does all the blood. But I can still feel the wound. I force myself to stand up, but I'm quickly shoved back by someone. A boy, by the looks of it._

 _"Jared?" I don't scream this time. Instead, I ask it, almost nervous after everything I've been through. Did he come when I called for once?_

 _The boy has black hair that I can barely make out in the light. He's dressed in a mixture of gray and black; he has a black t-shirt, gray pants, and black shoes. But I can't see his eyes, which confuses me. It's got to be Jared, hasn't it?_

 _"I'm here." His voices echoes in the dark room I'm in._

 _"Oh, Jared, thank goodness!" I whisper in relief, but then I peer at him closer as light appears in his hands.  
_

 _His eyes are certainly gray. But his hands are covered in flames, which are the source of the light, and I suddenly feel that Jared is not a safe person to rely on anymore. He steps closer, and when he does, I see his eyes shift in color. They become icy blue, causing me to try and scramble backwards. However, I'm frozen in my spot._

 _"Please go away." I whisper._

 _He just smirks in response. "I'm not going anywhere,_ Princess _."_

 _And then he lights me on fire. I let out a horrendous scream which is wordless at first and filled with pain. But, it slowly morphs into me screaming at him. "Prince Teague! Prince Teague, please! Stop!" I find that I can move, but I only manage to writhe in pain. I'm being burned in pain. "Prince Teague!"_

 _At first, I think he's mocking me when he calls my name back. "Mina! Mina! Mina!" But then, it starts to sound more worried and concerned. "Mina! Mina, wake up!"_

I jolt upwards, to find none other than Prince Teague sitting on my bed. I gasp, almost beginning to cry. Whether from fear from what I just experienced or from relief that none of it was real, I'm not sure.

I don't even give him a chance to speak. "It was just a dream?"

"Yes." He nods his head, and I can see sunlight streaming through the windows. "I heard a scream, and so I came as fast as I could. It took me forever to manage to wake you up though. I was afraid I wasn't going to be able to, after I failed to the first few minutes."

"You heard me?" My cheeks go a little pink.

"Indeed I did, Princess." He grins a little. "You scream pretty loudly."

That makes my heart stop short, and my mind thinks back to the first part of my dream, and then the last. "Where did you hear that?"

He pauses before answering. "What do you mean?"

"You're him! You're Jared! All along, you were him! You purposefully crashed the car! You convinced me to run away to see if I would do it! All of this was a set up! I trusted you!" I begin to cry, shaking. "You were toying with me!"

"Come on, Mina." He doesn't respond to any of my accusations. "It's time to start the Grimm curse."

"You despicable creature." I shake my head, feeling a mixture of sadness and anger.

"Come on." He says it a bit more forcefully this time, taking my arm and leading me along to a room.

On the pedestal in the room is the Grimorie. I saw him - Jared, who apparently is Prince Teague - suck Templestiltskin into that. I assume he sucked Ever inside too. No wonder it's here. But why am I looking at it?

"You're going in there." He says it simply, but my heart stops.

This is too much to take in at once. "What?"

"You heard me." He responds, obviously not wanting to repeat it.

"You can't put me in there! People who want to kill me are in there!" I'm beginning to despair.

"This is your curse." He says. "You either find a way out alive, or you die in there. I'll know what happens the moment it does either way."

I don't get a chance to formulate a protest, because he picks up the book, and opens it. It seems to respond to his will, and the light I saw when he used it on Templestiltskin crawls out, creeping towards me. I run for the door, but with Fae Magic he shuts it. I'm trapped, and I think we both know it. So, I decide to be brave, and instead of cowering like a coward as I wait for it to get me, I walk into the light, although it is quite bright. It grabs a hold of me quite tightly, dragging me towards the book. And then? It begins to drag me upwards, no doubt to pull me into the book.

Everything goes black when it tries that.

* * *

 **Woah, wait, what? That's a lot to take in! Prince Teague can be nice sometimes? And what about that crazy nightmare? Did it mean anything? And wait, Jared is Prince Teague? And woah, Mina has to go in to the Grimorie for the curse, and she has to figure a way out? That's crazy!**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed the crazy long chapter, and pleas review! This will be the last update for a bit, but you guys should check out some of my other stories! (Shameless advertising, I know) I'll be updating Killer of My Heart - as I've mentioned before - for a week now. c:**

 **Until next time! Let me know what you guys think of this chapter, and any reactions or suspicions you guys have!**

 **~ Dagger**


	11. Chapter 10 - Inside The Grimorie

**Chapter Ten - Inside The Grimorie**

 **Hey guys! I know it isn't Little Black Star's week to be updated, however while I wait for at least on review on Killer of My Heart, I figured I could update this story again, because it is one of my favorite's to write. And I think I'm gonna stop the whole "weekly" idea seeing as I can't update too constantly, and instead I'll just update what I feel like updating. c: Plus, I don't want to leave you guys hanging for too long! After all, Mina is in the Grimorie now! And we all know that the Grimorie is evil...Oh...Wait...Wrong story! cx**

 **09Who knew90 : I'm glad that I shocked you so much! :D That's one of my favorite things to do as a writer - I'm sure I say that all the time, but it's true - and so I always get really happy when I find out I succeeded! I will tell you that it was most certainly a dream, however you are correct in Mina's dream powers playing in to it. c; I won't tell you what it all means though, because some of it might not be literally what it seems. :p I will not saying anything about Nix, except for that he is not gone from the story just yet. Whether that means he's alive or not, or if he'll actually appear or just be mentioned, is up to you to ponder and me to know. Jared is definitely interesting. And ha, it's more like Nice Teague jumped out a window to let Evil Teague in. And I agree, poor Mina is right. To clear up the stuff on Teague and Jared, Teague is Jared. c: I'm glad you liked it all, and that it wasn't too much to take in!**

 **Evx : I'm glad you love it, and that you were able to read it all! Teague is switching moods for many reasons, so I suppose maybe I should do a chapter from his perspective to make things a bit clearer, and show what Teague thinks. Should I? And haha, I'm glad you like the twist! I was super excited to write it in and get reactions, seeing as it meant that he knew way more than we thought about her. Not to mention possible connections in the past...? :3**

 **Anyways, let's get started!**

* * *

 _"You're him! You're Jared! All along, you were him! You purposefully crashed the car! You convinced me to run away to see if I would do it! All of this was a set up! I trusted you!" I begin to cry, shaking. "You were toying with me!"_

 _"Come on, Mina." He doesn't respond to any of my accusations. "It's time to start the Grimm curse."_

 _"You despicable creature." I shake my head, feeling a mixture of sadness and anger._

 _"Come on." He says it a bit more forcefully this time, taking my arm and leading me along to a room._

 _On the pedestal in the room is the Grimorie. I saw him - Jared, who apparently is Prince Teague - suck Templestiltskin into that. I assume he sucked Ever inside too. No wonder it's here. But why am I looking at it?_

 _"You're going in there." He says it simply, but my heart stops._

 _This is too much to take in at once. "What?"_

 _"You heard me." He responds, obviously not wanting to repeat it._

 _"You can't put me in there! People who want to kill me are in there!" I'm beginning to despair._

 _"This is your curse." He says. "You either find a way out alive, or you die in there. I'll know what happens the moment it does either way."_

 _I don't get a chance to formulate a protest, because he picks up the book, and opens it. It seems to respond to his will, and the light I saw when he used it on Templestiltskin crawls out, creeping towards me. I run for the door, but with Fae Magic he shuts it. I'm trapped, and I think we both know it. So, I decide to be brave, and instead of cowering like a coward as I wait for it to get me, I walk into the light, although it is quite bright. It grabs a hold of me quite tightly, dragging me towards the book. And then? It begins to drag me upwards, no doubt to pull me into the book._

 _Everything goes black when it tries that._

* * *

 _Mina's Point of View_

* * *

When I open my eyes, I find that I'm laying on the ground in the woods. I almost want to believe it's from when I ran away, or when I tried to jump, or even when I first met Jared/Teague for the second or third time. Or, better yet, before I had to deal with him in either form. Who am I fooling though? I must be inside the Grimorie. That thought terrifies me.

That's when I hear something scream. And I identify the scream with a very familiar voice that makes me want to cry. People always say you don't know what you have till you've lost it. But I think that you really don't know what you have till you've lost it and then are reminded of it. He went missing a few days - I don't remember how many - before the curse was going to happen. I couldn't figure out why, but all the theories I have now are scaring me, so I force myself to shake them away.

"Help!" This time the voice gains words that I can comprehend this time, and so I do what anyone else would do in this situation.

I scream back. "Nix!"

The screams he emits become wordless again, and I take off in that direction. He's here inside the book. It's the worst place he could be, and yet I can't help but feel a tiny bit relieved that he's here, even though he's in pain. I need someone familiar around here.

"Where are you?" I call out again, stopping in a clearing in the trees and spinning in a circle. "Nix!"

This time I can make out more words, and they terrify me. "Run, Mina, run! Get away! She wa-" Whatever he's saying turns into another wordless, pain-filled scream that rips my heart to shreds.

I completely disregard what he said, and begin to run in that direction again. "I'm coming, Nix!"

I come to a skidding halt when I reach a rocky cliff with a waterfall falling down into a lake, which turns into a stream. The streams seems hauntingly familiar, which frightens me, although I can't put my finger on where I've seen it before. Also in the cliff is a cave, and I realize now that the screaming is coming from there. Once that dawns on me, I hurry inside, and the screaming stops.

"Nix!" I scream his name, because I'm losing all light in here fast.

The only response I get is silence, which is more chilling then the screaming. I walk a bit faster, one hand along the wall. There's not a single response though, and I'm starting to get nervous.

And then, suddenly, someone's hands are clamped on my neck, causing me to gasp for breathe. "That was too easy. I knew you would come running if I started to torture your only friend and you heard it."

Something tugs at my mind, and I remember my dream before I came in here.

 _"Hello?" I call out, looking around me. I'm in a pitch black...room, I guess. Or space. Space seems safer, since I don't know what I'm in. "Is anyone there?"_

 _A sort of twisted laugh hits the air, and I spin around, trying to find the source. I can't see anyone though, and I'll admit that I'm starting to panic. Who made that sound? My answer comes quickly, when someone behind me grabs my neck._

 _"I might've failed twice, but I won't this time." The hiss of Ever - who sounds much more frightening now - comes as she tightens her hold on my neck. "There's no one here to save you now, is there?"_

 _"Please!" I choke out. "Please, somebody, save me!"_

"L-Let go!" I grab on to the hands holding my neck, trying to pry them off.

"I failed at killing you twice before." This time, I identify the voice, and it's the same one from my dream. Ever. "I can promise you that this time I won't though."

Her grip tightens a little. "Please, let go of me!"

"There's no here to save you now, is there?" She's taunting me, and I try even harder to pull her hands off. Sadly, it's not working. "The Prince won't save you from the curse he invented. He's a monster. Do you understand that?"

"Somebody save me!" I scream the words, but Ever just laughs instead.

"Pathetic." This time she hisses the word into my ear, causing me to flinch a little.

Once again, her grip tightens a little. "Let go!"

My hands start to tremble, and at first I think it's because of the fact that I'm getting less oxygen. But then, I realize that it's from an energy build up. But an energy build up of what? My hands latch on to Ever's instinctively, and she cries out in pain, ripping her hands off my neck. Fresh air rushes into my lungs, and I lap it up gratefully. Then, I turn around to face where Ever at least was.

"Where's Nix?" I take a step forward, and then I'm rushed at full force by the pixie.

She shoves me to the ground, and once again I react instinctively. I grab _her_ neck before she can grab mine, and she screams in pain. I don't let go though. Actually, I _can't_ let go. She continues to scream for a few minutes, and even when I try to pull my hands away it doesn't work. She tries to pull my hands off and roll around with me on the ground for a little bit, and then she goes cold. It's almost like the life was sucked out of her.

I manage to pulls my hands away, and gasp when I see they're glowing red. I sit up and push Ever away, refusing to think about the fact that I might've just murdered her. Standing up on shaky legs with a queasy stomach, I call out, "N-Nix? Are you there?"

"Mina?" The tired and pained response sounds ever so slightly hopeful. "Is it really you?"

"Yes! Where are you?" I call back.

This game of Marco Polo continues for a bit of time till we finally find each other. We then help each other stumble out, and I get a good look at him. His face and arms are all bruised, but besides that he looks to be okay. Once we're in the light, he gives me a big hug, which almost catches me off guard.

"Where are we, Mina?" He asks, looking me straight in the eye when he asks.

"We're inside a book, Nix, and it's the last place anyone would ever want to be." I respond, and he trembles a little.

"You mean, the boy in gray really did suck me into a book?" His eyes widen a little bit.

That makes me stop short. "The boy in gray?"

Nix nods. "He was dressed all in gray, and he had these stormy gray eyes. He told me that what he was about to do was completely necessary, and then I remember not being able to move. He got this book in his hands, and when he opened it these white tendrils came out and pulled me towards it. Everything went black, and when I woke up I ran into that pixie girl, Ever. She used to go to our school, didn't she?"

"Oh gosh, Nix, things are a lot worse than I thought they were."

* * *

 **Dun dun dun! What did you guys think of that update? Good? Bad? Either way, I'll try to update again soon! I'm excited to have someone come back soon!  
**

 **Please review! I'd love to know what you thought of Ever and Nix being here, who you think will be here, how much of the other stuff in Mina's dream you'll think will happen (and if you think it'll be metaphorical/literal/a mix), if you want a Teague pov, and anything else that you thought!**

 **Also, I apologize that this chapter was a bit shorter! I'll try to make the next one longer, depending on whose perspective it's from.**

 **~ Dagger**


	12. Chapter 11 - Among The Wolves

**Chapter Eleven - Among The Wolves  
**

 **Wow. Dagger still is able to write on her other stories that aren't just a collection of one-shots? I thought she had forgotten how! I thought she had lost interest! I thought maybe she'd quit doing that!**

 **Woah, guys, I've been gone for so long, and I'm super sorry about that! I should've been updating, but I have been rather busy. However, school is wrapping up, and I'm pushing myself to write more, as I've been slacking off with that recently. Hopefully this makes up for the lack of updates! I'll try and update some of my other stories too, but no promises on when. I will try though.**

 **Evx : Ah, yes. Well, we'll probably be having a perspective from him at some point, but not just yet. It would spoil some stuff that is supposed to be a surprise. c;**

 **Anyways, on with the story! Because that's what you guys are all reading for, right? xD**

 **Also, I apologize in advance if this isn't up to my usual level of writing. :/ Hopefully it is close though!**

* * *

 _She shoves me to the ground, and once again I react instinctively. I grab her neck before she can grab mine, and she screams in pain. I don't let go though. Actually, I can't let go. She continues to scream for a few minutes, and even when I try to pull my hands away it doesn't work. She tries to pull my hands off and roll around with me on the ground for a little bit, and then she goes cold. It's almost like the life was sucked out of her._

 _I manage to pulls my hands away, and gasp when I see they're glowing red. I sit up and push Ever away, refusing to think about the fact that I might've just murdered her. Standing up on shaky legs with a queasy stomach, I call out, "N-Nix? Are you there?"_

 _"Mina?" The tired and pained response sounds ever so slightly hopeful. "Is it really you?"_

 _"Yes! Where are you?" I call back._

 _This game of Marco Polo continues for a bit of time till we finally find each other. We then help each other stumble out, and I get a good look at him. His face and arms are all bruised, but besides that he looks to be okay. Once we're in the light, he gives me a big hug, which almost catches me off guard._

 _"Where are we, Mina?" He asks, looking me straight in the eye when he asks._

 _"We're inside a book, Nix, and it's the last place anyone would ever want to be." I respond, and he trembles a little._

 _"You mean, the boy in gray really did suck me into a book?" His eyes widen a little bit._

 _That makes me stop short. "The boy in gray?"_

 _Nix nods. "He was dressed all in gray, and he had these stormy gray eyes. He told me that what he was about to do was completely necessary, and then I remember not being able to move. He got this book in his hands, and when he opened it these white tendrils came out and pulled me towards it. Everything went black, and when I woke up I ran into that pixie girl, Ever. She used to go to our school, didn't she?"_

 _"Oh gosh, Nix, things are a lot worse than I thought they were."_

* * *

 _Mina's POV_

* * *

Three days after Nix and I found each other - and I learned the answer to the mystery of his disappearance, which was extremely upsetting - we'd been exploring the Grimorie. I explained how my dilemma was that I could either make it out or not, and end up dying in here, and so Nix decided he would accompany me in my search for an exit. Not that he has anything else to do, especially if he wants to get it's super nice to have a friend along for the ride, because he makes it seem a lot less horrible.

At first, we were really cautious, seeing how Ever was. But after not seeing any Fae the first two days, we gave up the wariness. It didn't seem like anyone else was around here. Eventually, we stumbled upon what appeared to be an ocean - there was a beach, and the water seemed endless, so we decided it was an ocean - and decided we'd rest there, because it was getting close to night time. We just fell asleep on the sand, a few feet away from each other, not really caring that we were out in the open. That was a mistake.

Laying on the sand, I have part of the same nightmare I had before I entered the Grimorie. And, like it did then, it frightens me.

 _I'm standing in a field, where a beautiful, crystal clear stream bubbles. I walk over, smiling a little when I see it. But then, the water takes on a crimson quality, and I gasp. What just happened? When I turn my head, I can see there's somebody laying in the water. Is somebody injured?_

 _I run over, and instantly I wish I hadn't as I sink to my knees, covering my mouth to try and muffle my scream._ Nix _is laying in the stream, coloring it red with the blood from a wound on his neck. His red hair is all wet, and that's not even showing his clothing.  
_

 _As I begin to cry, I try to shake him. "Nix! Nix! Nix, answer me! Please!"_

 _There's no response from him though, and then the stream bubbles into a river, pulling him away._

 _"No, Nix, no!" I scream, standing waste deep in the water as his body is ripped away. "Nix, come back! No! Please!"_

 _I can feel myself starting to get dragged under, and gasp when my lungs fill with water. Lungs. Normally when I go underwater, my gills emerge. But they don't this time. I claw at my neck, trying to pull myself upwards. It doesn't work though, and I find that the more I try, the further down I go. When I try to scream, more water comes in._

 _Suddenly, air bursts in as I find myself in a room that seems to be made of gold, although there's practically nothing in it. There's a golden throne in the middle though, and someone is sitting in it. I can't see who though. I walk around slowly, and when I see who it is, I gasp._

 _"Miss me, love?" Templestiltskin stands up, dressed in gold like he was when I met him before._

 _"You!" I back up, but the walls of this room have suddenly come much closer, and the throne has disappeared. "Jared got rid of you!"_

 _"So you hoped." He reaches out with an ungloved hand, touching the strand of hair he touched before. It turns to gold, and I cry out in pain, because this time it hurts. Actually, it doesn't just hurt. It_ burns _. "But I'm afraid it will take a lot more than that to get rid of me."  
_

 _Then, he touches my face. It feels like all of me is on fire, and slowly I find that I can move less and less. It's getting hard to breathe, and when I do, it hurts. I want to cry out, but I can't move my lips at all. My silent screaming fills my own ears, but no one else's._

 _And then, like everything else so far, the scene slips away...  
_

...And I wake up screaming.

Except, there's one issue. My scream is muffled, and I can feel a hand covering my mouth. Presumably the other arm of the hand's owner then swings around my neck, keeping me in place and choking me slightly. People just love choking me, don't they? You'd think, as a siren, guys would stop doing that, although I am making the assumption that this is a guy. Maybe the Grimm blood cancels out the Siren abilities? I don't know.

"Alright, sweetie." The growl in the voice reminds me a bit of a wolf's, and I shudder. This guy is creepy. "We've got a special request for girlies to get caught recently, and I do believe you qualify."

There's a snicker from nearby, and out of the corner of my eye I follow the source. I see Nix, held in a similar position to me, but I can't see super well, so I can't figure out what on earth is holding him. No doubt whatever is holding him captive is working with whatever is keeping me captive. I struggle a little, but I can tell it's hopeless.

My head is suddenly shoved down towards the ground, and it is held down a little bit above the ground as someone walks up. I see bright, red heels that seem horribly inconvenient for walking on sand, and then the wearer of those heels - or so I think - speaks.

"So we've got a girl and a boy, Lonetree?" It's definitely a woman, but I can't figure out what's going on. "Well, hopefully we'll have found a girl that suits his interests." What is that supposed to mean? "As for the boy, well, I'm sure no one will notice if I take a few of his years away, and he'll probably sell for a good price."

"What on earth are you talking about?" I exclaim, only to get a smack to the head that sens my head spinning.

There's a rather disturbing laugh from the two men holding us captive, and the lady says, "Well, you'll just have to see what that means, won't you?" She pauses, and then adds, "Knock them out, boys."

I go out like a light before I can even protest anymore.

When I wake up, I'm in the dark. Both literally and figuratively. It takes me a moment to gather my bearings, and then I remember what happened before I was knocked out. I'd been taken captive, and Nix had been captured as well. But where is he?

"Mina, is that you? Are you awake now?" I hear the familiar voice of my best friend, and a little bit of a relief flood into me.

"Nix?" I ask, trying to move forward, only to find I can barley move at all due to the fact that I'm chained up. "Where are we?"

"We're on a ship bound for...somewhere. I don't know where." He sighs. "Are you okay?"

I try to do a self-evaluation of how I am, and then shrug. "I don't know. Right now I think so, but I can't move all that much." I pause, and then ask, "What about you?"

"I'm fine, besides my head aching. Those wolves hit hard, don't they?" There's typical Nix, trying to put a positive spin on the situation.

Then I register what he said. "Wolves?"

He seems to be caught off guard by the question. "Ya, wolves, Mina."

"Um, what do you mean?" I'm almost afraid to know.

"That's what the Fae that caught us are. Wolves. Well, the lady wasn't, but the men were definitely wolf Fae. They're a part of the pack, no doubt. I'd heard some of them had disappeared from one of my Fae friends before I myself was caught, but I didn't even think about the fact that they could be hear. They're dangerous and monsters." Nix sounds like he doesn't like them at all, and so I take that as a cue not to like them either.

"Wow." I lean back against the wall, frowning at the new, tiny flood of info.

"So, what's the plan for escape?" Nix asks, and now it's my turn to be caught off guard.

I turn my head in the direction of his voice. "Plan for escape?"

"Ya, the plan for escape, Mina." He sounds like it's obviously something I have to have thought of.

I shake my head. "I don't know. I wasn't really expecting to get chained up on a ship bound for somewhere I don't know in a place I am unfamiliar with on an impossible journey." This just causes Nix to laugh, and my cheeks burn a little from embarrassment. "What's so funny?"

"I knew you didn't have a plan for escape yet. But I've got one." I can almost hear the wink in his voice.

Which, of course, only makes of Jared. My heart aches a little, till I remember that he's Prince Teague, and he lied to me. Not to mention he's the reason I'm in here. The ache fades, replaced with frustration. Why is this happening to me?

"Alright, wise guy. What's the plan?" I tilt my head a little as I ask.

Now, I can imagine the grin on his face - although I don't know if he'd actually grin in this situation - and my heart dully aches again. "Well, they've given me chains fit for a Fae. I can't preform any magic. You, on the other hand..." He trails off. "That is, if I've been right all along, and you're full Fae."

"Fine. I'm a full Fae Siren, Nix, and I'm the chosen Grimm." This doesn't seem to throw him off as much as I thought it would, and I have to ask, "That doesn't throw you off?"

"I figured that out before this, I just didn't tell you." There's a hint of a shrug in his voice.

"How?" Confusion lights up in me, as well as curiosity. Has he been paying closer attention than I think?

I hear the rattle of chains as someone - probably Nix - shifts positions. "Look, we can discuss how later. I need you to try and use magic."

"You want me to use magic when I can only transform sticks and stones into legitimate weapons?" I ask, a hint of ridicule in my voice.

"I want you to test your chains, and if they're normal, I want you to drill a hole in the ship and make it start to sink." That's a scary thought.

I hesitate. "Shouldn't I just remove our chains and then we run for it?"

"I don't know if you can do that, Mina." He says in response.

"Then I'll be sending us to our doom!" The alarm in my voice makes me speak a little louder than intended.

"You seem important. I'm banking on them saving us, or at least you, since that's the case." His response sounds simple, and very un-Nix-like.

I shake my head. "No, we won't do that unless absolutely necessary."

And it turns out it's not, because that's when the wall of the ship - is that even what it's called? - a few cells away from me is suddenly smashed open, and water comes crashing in. Naturally, I do the first thing anyone should do.

I scream as loudly as possible and pray that someone comes to help.

* * *

 **Uh oh, what's going on with that? How did the ship wall open? And what's up with Nix? Anyone have any suspicions on what's going to happen later, or why Mina had that part of the dream again? What did you guys think of the chapter?  
**

 **cx Sorry for the bombardment of questions, but if you even want to answer one, please review! I'll try and update soon - if there are reviews, I'll be more likely to update sooner, and the more reviews the quicker I'll try to respond - as well as update my other stories! If you want to see a specific one updated, feel free to add that in your review as well. c;**

 **Thanks for the support! Hopefully you guys all can forgive me for leaving you hanging for so long, as well as for not having my writing up to it's usual standards. And I hope the cliff hanger of what's going on will make you guys excited for the next update!**

 **~ Dagger**


	13. Chapter 12 - Between Scylla and

**Chapter Twelve - Between Scylla and Charybdis**

 **Hey guys! I'm back with another update, to make up for my disappearance! ^-^ Let's find out what's happening to Mina now, shall we? Please note this chapter might be longer and a bit more "violent" in the sense that there are killer monsters in this. So, if you don't like that, you may want to skim. You have been fairly warned. c;  
**

 **09Who knew90 : Haha, yes, Nix is alive. c; I'm glad there were no errors! And I'm also glad that Nix is lovable, and that you're glad he's here! And ah, well, you don't have to worry about Nix dying there. That was a dream. X3 However, being held captive in the manner they are might make things worse. And ah, yes, poor Mina keeps getting strangled. Sadly for her, I don't think that'll stop anytime soon. I'm glad it's appreciated though! xD I'm glad the cliff hangers are good, and I'm glad that you loved the chapter! And no grammar errors twice in a row? :O Woah, go me! cx And ahhh, yes, Nix is being un-Nix like? Interesting. Perhaps we'll get the answer this chapter? And hopefully this helps with agony of waiting! As for why the ships wall broke, well, we'll just have to find out, won't we? Maybeeee we'll be finding out this chapter? c; And ah, yes, a Jared/Teague/Nix chapter would be fun, but that'll have to wait for awhile as that would give too many spoilers right now.**

 **Evx : xD Wow, I'm glad my updates are good enough to be read that late at night/that early in the morning! And ooh, I've stumped you. Wonderful. :3 Now you'll have to wait in suspense. And, as you said, pray that Mina's dream doesn't come true. Whether or not it will will be coming into play eventually.**

 **If you guys know anything about me, I like to include mythology in my stories. Readers of Counting Stars will definitely know this, with the different creatures in there. People seemed to appreciate/like this, and since I find mythology very intriguing, I've included some in this story as well. Perhaps you guys know what I'm including from the title of this chapter? Let me know in the reviews if you do! I'll be impressed. c;  
**

 **Also, when I refer to anyone as "wolves" in this chapter, they aren't actually in wolf form unless I say that specifically. Mina is just calling them all wolves.**

 ** _Also_ also, I wrote a ton of this chapter and spent at least an hour writing it, only to accidentally click a link and have it delete everything I'd just added to what I'd drafted. It was really infuriating, and I'd been so happy with what I'd written, so I might've cried a bit because I had just thought "I should really save this to make sure nothing happens to it." So this would've been out sooner if it wasn't for the stupid computer and the fact that this website won't recover what you just did if you push the back button the instant you do it. I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter now, as I was super happier with the earlier version. I'd like to think it's even better, but I don't know. ;-;**

 **But enough about all that. It doesn't matter, seeing as there's no way to recover it. On to the chapter, right? (Sorry that that above section was so long! If you skipped it, I understand completely and won't mind. Not that I'd know.)  
**

* * *

 _Now, I can imagine the grin on his face - although I don't know if he'd actually grin in this situation - and my heart dully aches again. "Well, they've given me chains fit for a Fae. I can't preform any magic. You, on the other hand..." He trails off. "That is, if I've been right all along, and you're full Fae."_

 _"Fine. I'm a full Fae Siren, Nix, and I'm the chosen Grimm." This doesn't seem to throw him off as much as I thought it would, and I have to ask, "That doesn't throw you off?"_

 _"I figured that out before this, I just didn't tell you." There's a hint of a shrug in his voice._

 _"How?" Confusion lights up in me, as well as curiosity. Has he been paying closer attention than I think?_

 _I hear the rattle of chains as someone - probably Nix - shifts positions. "Look, we can discuss how later. I need you to try and use magic."_

 _"You want me to use magic when I can only transform sticks and stones into legitimate weapons?" I ask, a hint of ridicule in my voice._

 _"I want you to test your chains, and if they're normal, I want you to drill a hole in the ship and make it start to sink." That's a scary thought._

 _I hesitate. "Shouldn't I just remove our chains and then we run for it?"_

 _"I don't know if you can do that, Mina." He says in response._

 _"Then I'll be sending us to our doom!" The alarm in my voice makes me speak a little louder than intended._

 _"You seem important. I'm banking on them saving us, or at least you, since that's the case." His response sounds simple, and very un-Nix-like._

 _I shake my head. "No, we won't do that unless absolutely necessary."_

 _And it turns out it's not, because that's when the wall of the ship - is that even what it's called? - a few cells away from me is suddenly smashed open, and water comes crashing in. Naturally, I do the first thing anyone should do._

 _I scream as loudly as possible and pray that someone comes to help._

* * *

 _Mina's Point of View_

* * *

"Mina!" Nix shouts as the water roars in. "You have to try and use your magic!"

I shake my head, sounding rather pitiful. "I _can't_!"

Nix doesn't respond. Instead, I hear a loud clank of chains dropping to the ground from his direction, and a minute later I hear the rattle of chains being picked up. Before I can ask what's going on, one of the men from before - a wolf, according to Nix, I believe - runs in. As he does, a crimson tentacle flings itself through the hole, probably the thing that broke the ship in the first place, and he leaps over it. I can't tell what he's trying to do, till he rips the bars of my cell away and chucks them out the hole. I'm not sure how on earth he managed to throw them, but he did, and the tentacle pulls back as if it's in pain. The water is now touching my feet, and I'm afraid, seeing as I'm forced to sit due to the chains. He rips the chains off, picking me up as if I weigh nothing and throwing me over his shoulder. The water has risen a little, and I can see from my new vantage point that now it's touching Nix's feet.

"Nix!" I reach a hand out towards him, but the man carrying me heads for the exit. "Wait, we have to go back for Nix!"

"No, we don't." The wolf snarls. "He's of no importance to us. They're asking for girls that look like you, not boys that look like him. He can die. You, on the other hand, can not."

Tears spring into my eyes. "You have to go back for him!"

He doesn't try and argue, and just continues up till she's on the deck. There's the lady from before - I can tell seeing as she's still wearing the red heels from before - and a few other wolves are around her. Now, I get a good look at what's happening to the boat in the straight we're in, and I become even more afraid for Nix. His biggest worry might not have to be the fact that the ship is sinking anymore.

On the left, a large whirlpool spins round and round, and above it a fig tree in full leaf somehow grows. Teeth jut out from the water in rings, looking very frightening, and them seem to spin along with the water. Netting and bits of rubble - and possibly the remains of creatures - seem to be stuck to the teeth.

On the right, I see an even more frightening creature. There's a cliff on that side - and probably a cave up there as well - and twelve, large, long crimson tentacles drape down from it. They appear to be almost like legs, and I can tell that this must be the monster that broke the boat open. The red reminds me of blood, which is even more offsetting. It seems to recline against the rocks as if it's propped up on it's back, and it's even more hideous than I thought when I get a closer look. A large, cat tail that's white and wet hangs down along with the tentacles, although it's a bit shorter than the tentacles. It swings around a little, moving the tentacles around as it does. Six necks sprout from the body, each looking rather scaly and deathly pale. The heads on five of them look like fair maidens at first. I see one with black hair, one with platinum blonde, one with strawberry blonde, one with light brown, and one with red. However, at second glance, I see why these five heads _aren't_ fair maidens. While their eyes look like they're closed at first glance, I then see that they've actually been sewed shut. It's disturbing, not to mention they also have scaly patches on their face, and a few warts and pimples here and there as well. The last head is the worst though, even though it doesn't have any warts or pimples. It's bald and has scaly patches it's on face, and four eyes adorn their face. The top left eye is emerald green, and the top right eye is chocolate brown, reminding me of my own brown eyes. The bottom right eye is light pink, like cotton candy, and the bottom left eye is blue, much like Prince Teague's. That stings a little when I think about it. This head grins, revealing three rows of sharp teeth, and the other heads smile in suit, revealing they too have the same amount of teeth. What's even worse about this creature is the fact that where it's stomach would be is six more, long, black, scaly necks. They sprout out and weave back in fourth angrily, and their heads are the heads of dogs. These dogs are the same as the necks, although they are furry and not scaly. They look to be a mix of dobermans and wolves, and have glowing, red eyes. They bark, howl, snarl, and growl as they move, seeming to grow impatient.

It's a very frightening sight, especially when I'm already having lots of trouble. This is what I get for being careless. I never should've let us fall asleep on that beach. Now I'm paying the price.

The lady and most of the wolves - besides the one that's steering the ship - seem to be conversing, but the wolf holding me doesn't seem to care all that much in joining in. He just seems to be listening. So, I decide to risk talking to him.

"What's happening?" I ask nervously.

The wolf heaves a sigh. "Stupid Claire decided we'd take the quicker route to the port city we intended to get to, so she took us through the strait we're now in instead of around it. She decided to tell us _after_ it was too late to shift routes that this strait happens to contain two deadly sea monsters. Charybdis," He jerks his head to the left slightly, "and Scylla," he then jerks his head to the right slightly, almost tapping me with it seeing as I've been slung over his shoulder like a rag doll. "Surely you know who those two beasts are?"

"I know _now_." I say bitterly. I vaguely remember those two names being mentioned in a Greek Mythology elective I took, but I don't remember anything about them besides that. It's a shame really. It would've been helpful for this situation. "But I thought they were fake. That's the reason it's called mythology, isn't it? And even if they aren't fake, why aren't they in Greece?"

The wolf chuckles rather harshly. "People always say things they haven't seen are fake. You should never believe the majority. Those are normally the believers. As for why they're here, well, that's the Prince's doing." Yet again something reminds of Prince Teague, and my hands curl up around the fur as I cling to the wolf to try and ignore the fact that the ship is sinking. "He pulled them into the Grimorie. Some Fae say it was for the safety of other Fae, because they existed on the Fae plane and not in Greece. Other Fae say it was a punishment for the monsters. Lots of Fae inside here say it's a punishment for the Fae who are trapped in here. I myself believe that he put them here as an obstacle and punishment for the Grimm girls he sends in here."

That strikes me hard in the heart. The Prince might've put them in here to cause issues for my ancestors and me. That's awful.

"Why are we going so close to the one on the right? Scylla?" I ask, almost afraid to know, although I'm more afraid that I might already know.

"Charybdis is a whirlpool, so we'd likely all die and the ship would be destroyed if we sailed close to her. Claire decided it's better to sail closer to Scylla. Each of her dog head's pulls one person from the ship away and only one, so we'll only lose six Fae that way. We weren't expecting her to smash the ship, although I suppose you can guess why she did. Most likely she intends to pull someone away from down there. Or she's gotten smart and decided she might as well kill us all." That horrifies me.

His prediction comes true a few seconds later, because I watch a dog head go closer to the water, hovering above it before ducking under. It comes out slowly, pulling someone out with it. Someone with red hair. Someone with beautiful, green eyes that meet mine. Someone who's my best friend.

"Nix!" I scream his name, starting to struggle to try and get away, but I just get held captive tighter so I can't squirm away. "Nix, no!"

He shakes his head slowly, a look of pain on his face. He doesn't want me to be hurt by what's happening. He doesn't want me to go after him, not that that sways my choice in the least. The dog head begins to pull him away, and Nix tries to call something to me, but I don't hear it.

"No, Nix, no!" I howl the words, and my dream comes back to haunt me.

 _I run over, and instantly I wish I hadn't as I sink to my knees, covering my mouth to try and muffle my scream._ Nix _is laying in the stream, coloring it red with the blood from a wound on his neck. His red hair is all wet, and that's not even showing his clothing.  
_

 _As I begin to cry, I try to shake him. "Nix! Nix! Nix, answer me! Please!"_

 _There's no response from him though, and then the stream bubbles into a river, pulling him away._

 _"No, Nix, no!" I scream, standing waste deep in the water as his body is ripped away. "Nix, come back! No! Please!"_

"He's not dead yet." I try to whimper the words to myself, trying to give me some sort of hope to cling to. But I know deep down that it's ridiculous to hope that he's not about to be slaughtered.

"Claire, if you don't come up with a plan soon, we'll all be fish food no matter what, because one of these sea monsters will get us either way!" The wolf at the helm - who I now recognize as the one who was holding me captive yesterday on the beach - shouts, but Claire ignores him.

A minute later, a head snatches that wolf - was his name Lonetree? - away, and then another head goes for Claire. She shoves another wolf into its mouth though, and that wolf is also pulled away howling. I can feel my captor's hold on me slacken a little as the next head comes in, pulling someone in front of us away. Now he's properly distracted.

Four people have been taken. Two more to go.

I seize the opportunity of distraction, elbowing my captor in the head. I would apologize, but he's keeping me from getting to Nix, and so I can't be bothered to feel bad for hurting him. He drops me and I land gracefully on my feet, running towards the side of the ship as the next head swoops down, grabbing another head.

Five Fae gone. Only one more head will come.

Suddenly, I'm overwhelmed as a voice that's not my own enters my head, loud and feminine. _What's this? The girl smells as if she's a cursed water Fae, much like myself._

 _Get out of my head!_ I sink to the ground, and because it hurts my head, I try to cover my ears. _Who are you?_

 _My name is Scylla._ The beast says, and I realize that it's the monster up on the cliff that pulled Nix and the wolves away already. _I'm not a monster. I'm merely cursed and trying to survive through it, much like you._ She pauses, and then says, _How can you hear me?_

 _I don't know_. I get the words out painfully.

 _What type of Fae are you, girl?_ She asks that next.

I'm almost surprised she asks, seeing as she knows I'm cursed. Then again, pretty much everyone seems to know that I'm cursed when they're Fae. _I'm a siren._

She seems to chuckle. _Now it makes sense. Sirens are normally able to understand all sea creatures. I'm surprised you didn't start understanding me sooner. Of course, you probably didn't even know I was speaking. Only those stupid canines can even hear the wavelengths my sound comes at. You could probably Charybdis too, if she was speaking.  
_

 _You've met sirens before?_ I ask, suddenly interested.

In the background I hear someone saying, "Get up!" as they shake me, but I ignore them.

 _Indeed. I could tell you many stories. I can tell you are very uneducated when it comes to your kind, and Fae in general. Give me a chance to do so._ She says, and I frown, confused.

"What do you me-" I say out loud, but then get my answer as a dog head weaves forward, waking me out of the 'trance' of sorts that I was in.

The wolf that was holding me captive shoves me out of the way, trying to save me, but the dog head shoves past him, grabbing me instead. It doesn't bite in, and instead drags me upwards gently, as if it means to not hurt me. Maybe it doesn't mean to.

"Mina!" The wolf howls my name, and I turn my head to look at him in surprise, unsure of how he knows that.

My surprise quickly turns to horror when I see his eyes. I didn't seem them before. This is the first time I do, and it hits me hard. The right eye is blue. The left eye is gray. Slowly, they transform into a form I know better. The form of Prince Teague.

It was him all along.

He transforms into a griffin, taking into the air. At first, I think he's going to come after this dog head and try and pull me away. Instead, he flies upwards and away, leaving me alone to face whatever I'm about to face.

The head releases me on the cliff, and I turn to find me staring upwards at the hideous, bald head of Scylla. "Where's Nix?" I can't stop myself from asking, but I instantly regret it.

She doesn't respond verbally. Instead, she responds with an imagine. I see Nix, bleeding out of his neck just like I imagined in my dream. The raven-haired head approaches quickly, and right as I realize that it's about to eat him, I shoo the image away.

"How could you?" I wail the words, tears pouring out of my eyes.

My head pounds a little. _I told you, Mina. I'm cursed, just like you. I have to survive, just like you._

I sink to my knees, crying as I watch the remainder of the ship sink, and the floundering Fae below either go under or get dragged towards the whirlpool. "No, you killed my best friend!"

The edge of the tentacle pokes me and spins me around to face the bald head once more, and it grins a little, once again showing it's three rows of teeth. _Now now. I saved your life. You're extremely entertaining, and I'd like to learn more about you. You can ask me any questions you want, as well. However, if you try to escape, I'll have to kill you sooner rather than later, as I'm currently planning. After all, my one head hasn't eaten yet._

I gulp, realizing that everything is much worse now, and shove my head into my hands as I begin to full out sob. I was abandoned by the Prince. I lost my best friend. I'm going to be eaten by this evil, maniacal, insane monster. None of this is okay.

* * *

 **Woah, that's a lot going on! And that was actually kind of sad too, although not as sad as some character deaths I've written. Were you guys prepared for that, considering how often I warned you with that dream, or was it still unexpected? Now that two things from the dream have come true, what exactly are you guys thinking about the rest of the dream? I asked before if you guys thought it was all symbolic, all literal, or a mix of both. Since we know it's not all symbolic, do you guys think it's all literal or a mix of literal and symbolic? Also, what was your reactions to all that?**

 **It only goes downhill from here. c; I mean, uhhhhhh, everything will get better. Haha, ya, that's exactly what I meant. xD Please review guys, and let me know what you guys think! I'm super excited to update this and show you what other twists and turns I have coming! :p**

 **~ Dagger**


	14. Chapter 13 - Miss Me?

**Chapter Thirteen - Miss Me?**

 **Hey guys, once again I'm back with an update for you guys after a very eventful last chapter! Hopefully this chapter appeases you guys...Or it makes you want another update even more. c; I'm excited for more reactions from you guys!**

 **Evx : Hm, you seem to have a grasp of what's going on pretty well. cx That pretty much sums up last chapter. And that's kind of funny. xD I'm glad it was good! Just wait till you see what's coming though. :3**

 **DragoFlare : ^-^ Haha, hopefully it wasn't too much of an information overload!**

 **Anyways, let's get to the chapter itself, hm?**

* * *

 _My surprise quickly turns to horror when I see his eyes. I didn't seem them before. This is the first time I do, and it hits me hard. The right eye is blue. The left eye is gray. Slowly, they transform into a form I know better. The form of Prince Teague._

 _It was him all along._

 _He transforms into a griffin, taking into the air. At first, I think he's going to come after this dog head and try and pull me away. Instead, he flies upwards and away, leaving me alone to face whatever I'm about to face._

 _The head releases me on the cliff, and I turn to find me staring upwards at the hideous, bald head of Scylla. "Where's Nix?" I can't stop myself from asking, but I instantly regret it._

 _She doesn't respond verbally. Instead, she responds with an imagine. I see Nix, bleeding out of his neck just like I imagined in my dream. The raven-haired head approaches quickly, and right as I realize that it's about to eat him, I shoo the image away._

 _"How could you?" I wail the words, tears pouring out of my eyes._

 _My head pounds a little._ I told you, Mina. I'm cursed, just like you. I have to survive, just like you.

 _I sink to my knees, crying as I watch the remainder of the ship sink, and the floundering Fae below either go under or get dragged towards the whirlpool. "No, you killed my best friend!"_

 _The edge of the tentacle pokes me and spins me around to face the bald head once more, and it grins a little, once again showing it's three rows of teeth._ Now now. I saved your life. You're extremely entertaining, and I'd like to learn more about you. You can ask me any questions you want, as well. However, if you try to escape, I'll have to kill you sooner rather than later, as I'm currently planning. After all, my one head hasn't eaten yet.

 _I gulp, realizing that everything is much worse now, and shove my head into my hands as I begin to full out sob. I was abandoned by the Prince. I lost my best friend. I'm going to be eaten by this evil, maniacal, insane monster. None of this is okay._

* * *

 _Mina's Point of View_

* * *

Night finally sets in, but it seems to take even longer than forever. At first, Scylla seems like she'll never fall asleep, always asking me questions in order to get me to ask questions she can answer. I don't ask anything important though. In fact, I try to be as boring as possible. I'm not sure if it actually contributes though. In fact, I end up faking going to sleep myself, although I'm a bit afraid that she'll try and eat me when she thinks I'm asleep. Finally, however, Scylla's head fall asleep one by one, including the dog heads.

Once I'm pretty positive all the heads are asleep, I creep around and hop over each neck as quietly as possible, freezing and panicking at every noise I make. I can't have her waking up. That wouldn't be good at all. As I sneak around, my eyes land on a body thrown carelessly aside. I creep up slowly, but then pinch my nose as I gag at the stench of blood that's overwhelming over here. As I look closer, I clamp my other hand across my mouth to keep from screaming. It's Nix. His right arm is gone, completely bitten off, and he's laying in blood. When I kneel beside him, I feel for a pulse, but of course there isn't one. I'd been hoping desperately that there would be one, but I suppose it's better that he's not in pain.

I grab his body instinctively. Even if it slows me down, I don't want him to die up here as fish food like I might if I don't continue trying to escape. Slowly, I begin to pull Nix down the cliff's ledges with me, trying to figure out how I'll get lower. A few times I scramble down a few feet of cliff to a ledge, cutting myself and nearly falling off a few times in the process. Nix's body nearly falls down at one time to my horror, but I manage to keep him from doing so.

When I can't find any more ledges to drop down from, I hear a voice in my head. _Going somewhere?_

"Anywhere but here!" I cry, and knowing that it'll probably hurt and that it might just kill me, I leap down to the water below with Nix.

I hit the water hard, giving me an instant headache. I go under, and bob up choking on water. Nix nearly slips out of my hands, but I pull him closer with one arm - he's heavy, so it's hard - and try to tread water with the other. Then I notice an approaching dog head glaring at me. I shift to siren mode, propelling myself to the other side of the strait with my tail and gills. I grin a little when I see I've escaped the dog head's reach.

That's when I realize the problem that I've just given myself. _You're gonna regret that, Mina._

 _Mmm._ Another voice makes the sound, sounding deeper and hungrier than Scylla.

I look ahead at the monster I forgot was on the other side of the strait. Charybdis. The whirlpool spins around and around as I start to get dragged towards it, and the teeth loom ahead like rocks. Now I see that my previous guess was right. They do have remains of creatures mixed with the netting and rubble. And they're spinning. I should've timed my escape better. Or at least had a bit more of a plan.

The fear inside me causes me to unexpectedly morph back to my human form, losing the tail and gills. And my brain also takes this moment to recognize how cold the water is. Ugh, why couldn't I have been an arctic mermaid, if those even exist? Or something that's better equipped to deal with cold water? With those two things mixing together, any hope of switching back to my siren form is hopeless.

I try to swim away from the whirlpool, but my own, inward ranting has ruined things. That's what I get for pulling a movie move. Those only work in movies and for people who aren't a first born Grimm girl that's marked with a black star like me. I get pulled closer, ramming against a tooth and grabbing on to it for dear life. It's at this moment that Nix slips out of my arms.

"Nix!" He's already been dead this entire time, but somehow it feels like he just died again as I stretch my arm out, only to miss it as his body goes spinning round and round.

I don't have any hope of getting to him now. Water splashes up, and I choke on it, unable to make my gills come back. I'm going to drown. I'm a siren, yet I'm going to drown. Unless this sea monster eats me first, of course. I cling to the rocks harder, but they're starting to get splashed by water more, making it slippery and hard to keep a grip, even on the netting. Tears sting my eyes. Why did I get this lot in life?

That's when I look up, and a small glimmer of hope lights up inside me. I lost Nix, but I may be able to save myself. I'd forgotten about the tree growing above Charybdis, and while it'll be a risk, I may just be able to snag it. I'll be risking my life to try and grab it, because I'll have to get swept up in the whirlpool to get close enough, but if I don't try now I'll die anyways. I release the tooth I've been clinging to, and instantly I start getting spun around. I can't help it; I scream. As I go round and round, I reach my hand up, forcing myself to keep my eyes open as water gets splashed into my face. I miss the root the first time, but I spin around again. I reach my hand up, crying and praying that I grab it.

I don't catch it, and it slips past, leaving me to my fate.

I scream again, clawing at the water as if it'll stop me from getting sucked in. I flail about, my scream turning into a sob of pure terror as I spin towards the center. I'm going to die like every Grimm girl before. I don't know why I ever thought I'd beat this curse. I hate Teague. I hate Jared. I hate my mom. I hate Ever. I hate everyone else who's contributed in giving me this lot and life as well. There's too many to list.

For some reason unknown to me - maybe human instinct - I force my eyes shut. Maybe that'll make it happen quicker. Maybe I'll die less painfully that way. I take a deep breathe, preparing for the worst, and that's when a miracle happens.

Someone grabs my wrist and jerks me out of the water.

I dangle in the air by my wrist, staring down at the whirlpool below and kicking my legs out of fright. I take a moment to stop so that my savior doesn't drop me. There's that sense of deja vu from when I tried to jump out of the tree in order to get Jared's attention. It doesn't seem likely that Teague would interfere now that the curse has begun though, would he? Even though I've begun to despise him, I can't help but hope he's just saved me again. I can almost imagine him yelling at me once again for being stupid.

I'm in for an even worse surprise though. "Miss me, love? Seems those slave traders failed to get you safely, but it's of little importance. I found you myself, and apparently, just in time."

I look upwards, and golden eyes meet my brown and gold ones. Suddenly, dying seems like a much better option as the guy grabs my other arm, pulling me up and grinning. I look over them quickly, and see that they're just as I remember. Golden hair. A golden earring. Golden clothes. Golden gloves. A dangerous grin.

Templestiltskin has reentered my life.

* * *

 **Uh oh. What's going to happen now? How worried should we be for Mina? Was this chapter satisfactory? What do you think Temple wants? And what on earth is going on with Teague/Jared based on what's been happening? I'd love to know what suspicions and opinions you guys have!**

 **Please review, whether it's with constructive criticism, reactions (I love these especially!), compliments, or theories! I always try to read and respond to everyone - as you guys probably know - so I love seeing your reviews. Plus, they really inspire me to continue to write. c;**

 **Also, some of you guys will be excited to know that a story of mine I paused awhile ago may be coming back. I'm not going to tell you which one, but there's only two, so you guys can guess between them! I'll probably be pausing Who Dun It : Grimm Edition till I finish a different story while I restart this one from where I left off, but we'll just have to see. See you guys when I update that one. Hopefully you guys are as excited as I am for it to continue! ^-^ I got my inspiration for it back. :D**

 **~ Dagger**


	15. Chapter 14 - Do We Have A Deal, Dearie?

**Chapter Fourteen - Do We Have A Deal, Dearie?**

 **Hey hey hey! Dagger is back with another update for all you crazy people, so have no fear! ^-^ Hopefully you guys will enjoy it as much as you can, seeing as our favorite nixie is dead. You may argue that it wasn't necessary, but I promise, it really was for the plot/story. You'll find out why later. I promise his death wasn't meaningless though. c;**

 **09Who knew90 : Aw, I'm sorry. ;-; It was more painful than you might think, having him be dead. I don't think I've ever killed him before (which is surprising, knowing me, as I always seem to be killing off every single character I can get my hands on sooner or later, or at least making it look like they're dead). And you think he was behind something? What do you think that would be? I won't confirm or deny anything, of course, but I'm interested to know. :3 I'm glad it's amazing, and I'm glad that having Temple show up was done well! I'm super excited to have him coming back, after such a brief appearance from him before that didn't even show all his motives or anything like that. And I'm glad the whole plan is going well so far as well, and that it's all been done magnificently. And I know, I'm sorry I killed Nix. :c My inner fangirl is screaming at my writer half, but what's done is done. I had to do what was necessary. I'm glad it was done well, and hopefully you enjoy this update!**

 **Evx : Thank you so much for the compliment! You probably should be afraid for Mina. cx The poor girl is having a lot of issues. As for Teague, well, we'll have to see if he makes anymore appearances for awhile or not. ;p**

 **I've rambled for long enough now though. Let's get this show on the road!**

* * *

 _I scream again, clawing at the water as if it'll stop me from getting sucked in. I flail about, my scream turning into a sob of pure terror as I spin towards the center. I'm going to die like every Grimm girl before. I don't know why I ever thought I'd beat this curse. I hate Teague. I hate Jared. I hate my mom. I hate Ever. I hate everyone else who's contributed in giving me this lot and life as well. There's too many to list._

 _For some reason unknown to me - maybe human instinct - I force my eyes shut. Maybe that'll make it happen quicker. Maybe I'll die less painfully that way. I take a deep breathe, preparing for the worst, and that's when a miracle happens._

 _Someone grabs my wrist and jerks me out of the water._

 _I dangle in the air by my wrist, staring down at the whirlpool below and kicking my legs out of fright. I take a moment to stop so that my savior doesn't drop me. There's that sense of deja vu from when I tried to jump out of the tree in order to get Jared's attention. It doesn't seem likely that Teague would interfere now that the curse has begun though, would he? Even though I've begun to despise him, I can't help but hope he's just saved me again. I can almost imagine him yelling at me once again for being stupid._

 _I'm in for an even worse surprise though. "Miss me, love? Seems those slave traders failed to get you safely, but it's of little importance. I found you myself, and apparently, just in time."_

 _I look upwards, and golden eyes meet my brown and gold ones. Suddenly, dying seems like a much better option as the guy grabs my other arm, pulling me up and grinning. I look over them quickly, and see that they're just as I remember. Golden hair. A golden earring. Golden clothes. Golden gloves. A dangerous grin._

 _Templestiltskin has reentered my life._

* * *

 _Mina's Point of View_

* * *

I open my eyes to find that I'm surrounded by gold. I blink, trying to figure out what on earth is going on. Am I dead? This place certainly doesn't seem very real. I push myself off the cold, hard ground, feeling the gold with my fingers. It may not look real, but it feels real. I look around, and my eyes land on the man in the door way. That's when everything that happened comes rushing back to me, and I just want to curl up in a ball and cry. Or, even better, go back to sleep and never wake up.

I'd been trying to escape from Scylla, and had tried to take Nix's body with me. In the process, I was nearly eaten by Charybdis, and lost Nix's body to her stomach. I was going to die myself, but then someone saved me. The man leaning against the door frame, to be more specific. Templestiltskin.

After he spoke and I saw him, I passed out.

"Glad to see you're awake." Temple grins at me, striding forward. He blends in with the gold walls, floors, furniture, and decor, so it's hard to watch him as he comes over. "We have lots of catching up to do, don't we?"

I shake my head. "No, no we don't."

He chuckles, as if I'm a little girl who needs to know about the bigger picture. Of course, I may be exactly that, but I don't really want to admit it. "Now, now, up you go, sweetheart."

He offers me his hand, which is gloved, but I glare at it. "I don't want to go anywhere with you."

He rolls his eyes at my response. "Well you don't really have much choice, do you? Come on."

He extends his hand once again, and after huffing, I take it and stand up on shaky legs. He pushes a strand of loose hair behind my ear, but I wince, remembering how my dream went. I expect it to burn and turn gold - even with him wearing gloves - but when it does, I relax. But only slightly. He doesn't release my hand, and sort of drags me along with him out of the room and down the hall. As we go, I look at the decoration as we pass. Everything is gold, and while it hurts my eyes still I have started to get slightly adjusted to it. There are plenty of statues that dot the hallways, and they all look quite lifelike. I'm kind of amazed at the skill that whoever made these statues had. They have to be a Fae.

"Admiring the artwork, are you, love?" Temple asks, and I give a shrug in response. "It's quite amazing how lifelike they still are when they're turned to gold, isn't it?"

I stop in my tracks, eyes widening in horror. "You mean-"

"You're quite adorable when you're scared." He winks, and my free hand bawls into a fist as I try to pull my other hand away, although it doesn't work.

"You awful excuse for a Fae!" I spit the words at him. "How could you do this to these Fae?"

He doesn't answer, strolling along till we reach one of a young girl who can't be much older than my age, if she is any older. She has the most terrified face I've ever seen, and I stare at her, trying to figure out why she looks familiar to me.

"I believe she was your aunt, if that's what you're wondering. On your father's side, of course." He offers me a small smirk, and I'm horrified.

In response, I try to punch him in the face. He grabs my wrist before it's even close to touching him though, and shakes his head. "Tut tut, Mina, darling. If you aren't careful, you might just be joining her in her fate. My father did a good job, and I fully intend to keep up the good work so that this place can stay decorated."

Forcing my mouth to shut so I can't give the response that I'm dying to, I proceed to get dragged along a bit further.

After awhile long of walking, Temple decides to start talking again. "My apologies for your friend that you were traveling with. He was a friend, correct? Not a boyfriend? I mean, it would explain why he was in the book either way, but it would make even more sense if he was a boyfriend."

I shake my head, taking a deep breathe. "No, he was just my friend."

My _only_ friend, to be more specific. I sometimes imagined what it would be like if we ever became anything more, but I don't think it ever was going to happen. And now it's completely out of the picture.

"Well then, that's a shame. It's a shame that you weren't able to save him, wasn't it? And to top it off, you lost his body." He shakes his head. "Poor, poor you."

I clench my hand even tighter. "Can we just go on to another topic?"

"At least he was already dead when I rescued you. I didn't intend on keeping him alive." He says it so bluntly, and it's my breaking point.

I sink to the ground, landing on my knees. Hard. Tears come spilling out of my eyes, although not from the pain. No, I can barely feel it as the tears come, and I jerk my hand away from Temple as I shove my face into both of my hands. Finally, I do something I've been needing to do for a long time now.

I scream.

It's a horrendous sound, one that I'm sure could shatter eardrums. I scream for who knows how long, till my voice gives way and I slump down, sobbing. I can't do this anymore. I just want out.

I can hear Temple kneel down beside me, and he whispers, "Well look at that. You _do_ have a breaking point. I was beginning to think you didn't." I continue to sob, not even caring at this point that everything he just did was to reduce me to this state. "Impressive scream. You actually stunned me with it." He pauses, and then gets back to business. "Now that you've finally been broken properly, I'm sure that we can begin to work out a deal."

I take a shaky breathe and shake my head.

He sighs, "Now now, this deal is both beneficial to you and to me, dear. You see, I want out of this stupid book, and I'm fully aware that you are supposed to find the exit, or die trying. And I'm sure you will. Now, if you allow me to follow you and exit the Grimorie as well, I will leave you alone. You'll never have to see my charming face again." He grins. "Now do you understand why this is beneficial to you? Once you're out, you'll never have to deal with me again." I highly doubt he'll actually uphold his side of the bargain though. "If you agree, you don't have to do anything. Simply _breathe_."

I know why he uses that, because it'll mean I have to agree. I briefly consider holding my breathe and killing myself in order to not agree, because at this point even death might be better than continuing with this stupid curse that has made my life even crappier than it was. But then I think about the fact that that gives Temple, Ever, and Prince Teague-Jared the satisfaction of winning. Not to mention in means Nix died for nothing. Slowly, I take a breathe, and then let out.

"I know you'd agree." He sounds way too cheery. It makes me sick. "Now, there is one more thing." I flinch as he clips something around my neck. "It's a necklace of sorts. You could also call it a collar." He takes too much glee in saying _that_ too. I'm not an _animal_. "You see, I need to make sure that I'm close enough to get to the exit. This will ensure that. The farther away you are from me, the tighter it gets. Not only that, but it also will begin to burn. It wouldn't be a very pleasant experience, I'm sure."

All of that is definitely code for 'If you were going to try and back out of this deal by ditching me, think twice, because you'll likely die - or at least be hurt - in the process till you give up.'

"I don't think that's really necessar-" I begin, reaching up for my neck to try and pull it off, glancing down to see that it is gold.

I can hear the grin in his voice. "Don't worry, it is." After a pause that makes it seem like he's remembering something - but is probably only there for dramatic effect - he adds, "Oh, I almost forgot. Only the person who put it on you can take it off."

Crap.

* * *

 **Uh oh. What do you guys think of the mess Mina is in now? And what did you guys think of Templestiltskin? Please let me know in your reviews! I'm excited to keep updating this story, because I have some pretty interesting things planned! Someone especially interesting will be making an appearance soon, so I'll be interested to see if any of you figure out who they are. :3  
**

 **Anyways, please review, and see you crazy fans next time! c;**

 **~ Dagger**


	16. Chapter 15 - Can't Fall Asleep

**Chapter Fifteen - Can't Fall Asleep  
**

 **Hey guys! That's right, I'm updating Little Black Star twice in a day (at least, trying to, although this update may get finished tomorrow which would be today when it gets finished and updated, if that makes any sense). I've been outlining what I want to do - although I haven't outlined to the end of the story - and actually wrote it down so it wasn't all in my head a few days ago. Now that I have, I'm extra inspired to write this story! ^-^ Hopefully this update won't disappoint, although it may just make you guys want another update even more. xD**

 **Evx : I know, poor Mina has gone through so much already. And her struggle isn't even over yet! Ah, no, Evx, you need to do your essay! cx But I'm glad that this update was good enough to make you stop what you were doing to read it, even if the essay is probably more important. X3 And haha, I'm glad Temple is so hateable. He's actually quite fun to write. He probably does deserve to die, especially for hurting Mina, but then we would have even less villains! And hopefully this chapter is coming soon enough for you!  
**

 **Now, shall we continue with this story? I'm dying to find out what you guys will think of what's coming up!  
**

* * *

 _He sighs, "Now now, this deal is both beneficial to you and to me, dear. You see, I want out of this stupid book, and I'm fully aware that you are supposed to find the exit, or die trying. And I'm sure you will. Now, if you allow me to follow you and exit the Grimorie as well, I will leave you alone. You'll never have to see my charming face again." He grins. "Now do you understand why this is beneficial to you? Once you're out, you'll never have to deal with me again." I highly doubt he'll actually uphold his side of the bargain though. "If you agree, you don't have to do anything. Simply breathe."_

 _I know why he uses that, because it'll mean I have to agree. I briefly consider holding my breathe and killing myself in order to not agree, because at this point even death might be better than continuing with this stupid curse that has made my life even crappier than it was. But then I think about the fact that that gives Temple, Ever, and Prince Teague-Jared the satisfaction of winning. Not to mention in means Nix died for nothing. Slowly, I take a breathe, and then let out._

 _"I know you'd agree." He sounds way too cheery. It makes me sick. "Now, there is one more thing." I flinch as he clips something around my neck. "It's a necklace of sorts. You could also call it a collar." He takes too much glee in saying that too. I'm not an animal. "You see, I need to make sure that I'm close enough to get to the exit. This will ensure that. The farther away you are from me, the tighter it gets. Not only that, but it also will begin to burn. It wouldn't be a very pleasant experience, I'm sure."_

 _All of that is definitely code for 'If you were going to try and back out of this deal by ditching me, think twice, because you'll likely die - or at least be hurt - in the process till you give up.'_

 _"I don't think that's really necessar-" I begin, reaching up for my neck to try and pull it off, glancing down to see that it is gold._

 _I can hear the grin in his voice. "Don't worry, it is." After a pause that makes it seem like he's remembering something - but is probably only there for dramatic effect - he adds, "Oh, I almost forgot. Only the person who put it on you can take it off."_

 _Crap._

* * *

 _Mina's Point of View_

* * *

I ditched Temple as soon as possible. We set up camp in the woods to sleep after walking for awhile, and once I faked going to sleep he went to sleep super quickly. It was then that I crept away, and once I assumed I was out of hearing range, I ran. Honestly, it was too simple, and I wasn't even breathing all that hard. However, after at least an hour - probably even longer - things started to go down hill.

Firstly? I was exhausted. I hadn't slept in what, two days? Unless you count being knocked out as going to sleep, and I don't. Not to mention the little necklace thing Temple put around my neck tightened ever so slightly, so I barely noticed it as it's still rather loose. The only reason I realized it started working is because it warmed up, and seeing as I was beginning to sweat, that made it even worse.

After two more hours of flat out running, I give up, falling asleep against a tree. I never knew how Temple found me so easily before, but I'm hoping he can't do that again. Falling asleep, however, was my worst idea ever, because my reoccurring nightmare has another part for me to see, and this time, it's brought some new friends.

 _Suddenly, air bursts in as I find myself in a room that seems to be made of gold, although there's practically nothing in it. There's a golden throne in the middle though, and someone is sitting in it. I can't see who though. I walk around slowly, and when I see who it is, I gasp._

 _"Miss me, love?" Templestiltskin stands up, dressed in gold like he was when I met him before._

 _"You!" I back up, but the walls of this room have suddenly come much closer, and the throne has disappeared. "Jared got rid of you!"_

 _"So you hoped." He reaches out with an ungloved hand, touching the strand of hair he touched before. It turns to gold, and I cry out in pain, because this time it hurts. Actually, it doesn't just hurt. It_ burns _. "But I'm afraid it will take a lot more than that to get rid of me."  
_

 _Then, he touches my face. It feels like all of me is on fire, and slowly I find that I can move less and less. It's getting hard to breathe, and when I do, it hurts. I want to cry out, but I can't move my lips at all. My silent screaming fills my own ears, but no one else's._

 _And then, like everything else so far, the scene slips away, to be replaced with the lunch room at school. However, it looks like something you'd see in a horror game. The lights are mainly off, although there are a few flicking on and off here and there. The eerie silence fills the entire room, and it's almost suffocating. There's not a person in sight. I walk around the room, touching each table and frowning.  
_

 _"Going somewhere, Grimes?" I turn around to be faced with none other but Savannah._

 _Except, she's not her typical 'Savannah looking' self. Her golden hair is a mess of tangles, looking more like a rat's nest than a brat's stunning hair. Her sapphire-colored eyes seem almost void of emotion. But what takes the cake is the deranged smile on her face. That just makes the whole 'creepy factor' go up from one hundred to a million._

 _"W-What's it to you?" The quiver in my voice causes me to back up a step, but Savannah just steps closer._

 _I can see now that she's closer that her mascara is running down her face, and her lipstick is a darkish purple that almost makes her lips look bruised. The creepy factor is climbing upwards. That's not to mention the cut above her left eye that I can now see. What on earth happened?_

 _"Nothing." I frown when she says this. What? "Seeing as you won't be."_

 _"Why do you say tha-" I don't get a chance to finish, because she punches me in the face, and it sends me spiraling through the wall._

 _I flip around multiple times, landing on my knees and hearing a thicken crunch. I let out a cry of pain, and the ground slowly disappears around me till I'm standing on a little piece of land floating in darkness. A small stick juts out, and then I see a hand is clinging on to that stick. I lean down to see a girl with dead eyes staring back at me, but I can't identify any color on her._

 _She croaks out in a voice I can't identify but I know I've heard before, "Help me, Mina, please!"_

 _I reach my hand out towards her. "Here, take my hand!"_

 _It's too late though. She loses her grip, slipping backwards, and her hand barely misses mine. I lean downwards, trying to reach her, but she drifts away. I blink, and then she's clinging to the branch, and my hand is hanging down for her to grab. She takes it, but I don't save her this time either._

 _"You're gonna pay for what you did. I want you to bow." Then, she let's go of the branch, pulling me down with her._

 _I shut my eyes as the darkness whips past, and the girl releases my hand, seeming to pull away. I keep plummeting downwards, wind rushing past me and whipping my hair all around, until it stops. I open my eyes as my feet collide with solid ground, and groan in pain. A figure flickers in and out of my vision in front of me, looking a bit like a girl who doesn't seem much older than me. Every now and then a few other girls appear in my vision, but she's the only one that's constantly flickering._

 _"You're getting closer." I can tell she whispers the words and I shouldn't be able to hear them, but I manage to anyways and they are left to echo in my head._

I sit up straight, gasping as I do. I can tell I've barely gotten any sleep, and I don't feel much more rested. But I have to go. I stand up on wobbly legs, left to try and figure out what that dream meant. Everything I've had happen in my dreams seem to be coming true, so those must mean something. But what?

You're getting closer. That's what that girl whispered. But what is that supposed to mean? And who was she, or the other girl that fell? How is Savannah playing for this? And why am I still getting warned about Templestiltskin?

* * *

 **Sorry that that chapter is a bit shorter, but I wanted to get this dream update out there so you guys could ponder what's going on. I promise, some answers will be coming next chapter! Plus, next chapter will be longer. c;  
**

 **Please review if you read this and enjoyed it, and would like to see more! If you guys have any suspicions as to what the answers to Mina's questions were at the end of the chapter, feel free to leave those in a review! I love hearing your suspicions, reactions, and ideas.**

 **See ya next time!**

 **~ Dagger**


	17. Chapter 16 - Killing Your Conscience

**Chapter Sixteen - Killing Your Conscience**

 **Hey guys, I'm back with yet another update of Little Black Star! I've been feeling especially motivated and inspired to write this story since I outlined it and have so much planned (although as I think stuff over I tweak it in my head, although I have it mostly planned out in my head and I'm mainly sticking to the outline)! :D Hopefully you guys are as excited as I am. There are quite a few twists we haven't even gotten to yet, and I want to see how you guys will react. :3**

 **Also, I recently realized a few of my emoji faces don't come across correctly. cx So I will be trying to avoid using those now. xD**

 **Evx : I'm glad you finished it, and that the chapter was lovely! And no problem! I love updating this story. c: As for things with Mina, well, I can offer no guarantees. Although would it be a story if everything was fine and dandy?**

 **tardiscompanion101 : I'm glad this is pretty good so far, and that you can't wait to read more! I'm not sure how far you've read, as you reviewed on Chapter 2, but none the less I hope I surprise you! And ah, yes, the spelling errors. I've been getting better at catching those in later chapters, but I'm glad besides that everything is good!**

 **Guest 1 : I'm glad you love this fanfiction so much! I really enjoy writing it. ^-^ And thank you so much! It means a lot to be told that, as I really love writing. I'm jut always worried that I'm not any good at it.**

 **Now, on with the chapter, right?**

* * *

She croaks out in a voice I can't identify but I know I've heard before, "Help me, Mina, please!"

I reach my hand out towards her. "Here, take my hand!"

It's too late though. She loses her grip, slipping backwards, and her hand barely misses mine. I lean downwards, trying to reach her, but she drifts away. I blink, and then she's clinging to the branch, and my hand is hanging down for her to grab. She takes it, but I don't save her this time either.

"You're gonna pay for what you did. I want you to bow." Then, she let's go of the branch, pulling me down with her.

I shut my eyes as the darkness whips past, and the girl releases my hand, seeming to pull away. I keep plummeting downwards, wind rushing past me and whipping my hair all around, until it stops. I open my eyes as my feet collide with solid ground, and groan in pain. A figure flickers in and out of my vision in front of me, looking a bit like a girl who doesn't seem much older than me. Every now and then a few other girls appear in my vision, but she's the only one that's constantly flickering.

"You're getting closer." I can tell she whispers the words and I shouldn't be able to hear them, but I manage to anyways and they are left to echo in my head.

 _I sit up straight, gasping as I do. I can tell I've barely gotten any sleep, and I don't feel much more rested. But I have to go. I stand up on wobbly legs, left to try and figure out what that dream meant. Everything I've had happen in my dreams seem to be coming true, so those must mean something. But what?_

 _You're getting closer. That's what that girl whispered. But what is that supposed to mean? And who was she, or the other girl that fell? How is Savannah playing for this? And why am I still getting warned about Templestiltskin?_

* * *

 _Mina's Point of View (I promise, eventually we'll have a chapter - hopefully more - not in her perspective, but that'll be in a little while)_

* * *

I walk along, breathing hard as my fingers try and pry the gold collar-necklace-thing Templestiltskin gave me off my neck. It hurts my fingers to do so, but the thing hurts my neck, so I need to get it off. However, no matter how hard I try, I can't get it off. It's growing warmer too, so it makes me even hotter. Soon, it might burn my fingers, unless Temple makes some progress and gets closer to where I am. Which I don't want.

Although I admit it would be a relief to have some of the pain disappear.

I continue to walk through the forest till finally I reach the edge. Literally. The forest stops at a cliff side, and I frown. That's not good. I try to figure out if I should go left or right, but I honestly have no idea. This might just be hopeless. What am I supposed to do? What if there isn't an actual way out of this book? Or, what if I pick the wrong direction, resulting in me never finding it?

I lean against a tree, sighing. Maybe I should just give up.

That's when I remember that my dad died in order to save my life awhile ago. And how I did all this training that I haven't even used. And how Jared-Teague saved my life so many times, including when I tried to take it in order to get his attention. And how I had to kill Ever in order to survive. And how Nix died because he was trying to help and protect me. And how I had to escape Scylla in order to survive. And how I kind of had to escape Templestiltskin again in order to make sure he doesn't escape, because he'll catch other girls and escape if I don't manage to escape without him. If I give up now, all of that occurred for nothing. I _can't_ let that be the case.

That's when I hear a voice. "Help!"

The voice shakes me to my core. I look around, trying to pin point the source. Where is it coming from? I can't identify the location, but I know I have to. I need to know what on earth is going on. What are _they_ doing in here?

"Help!" They cry out again, and this time I realize it's coming from the cliff.

I walk up slowly, kneeling down on the ground and laying on my stomach for safety before peering over the cliff edge. My hands grip the grass, as if that'll help me stay on and not let me fall off the cliff if something like a gust of wind were to try and get me off. It may be irrational, but when I peer over I don't even think about that. I'm just shocked at who's there, because I thought there was no way in reality that my identification of the voice was right. But it is.

"Savannah?" I manage to croak the name out, staring at perfect blue eyes that are filled with horror as she clings to a root.

Her hair is a tangled mess, no longer it's perfect look that it used to be. I can't tell how lung she's been clinging onto that root jutting from the ground, but she seems to be sweating, so it has to be longer than anyone would like. I stare at her, not sure how to react. How on earth is she here?

"Don't just stare you idiot!" Savannah barks the words at me, bringing me back to reality, and I frown as she goes, "Save me!"

"Why should I save you?" I ask, moving backwards ever so slightly.

In my dream, she attacked me in the school cafeteria. She sent me into the wall. I don't know what that's representing, but it's obviously not something good. I can't trust her. I push away, standing up. I can't save her. I will not endanger myself. She was awful to me, and there's no doubt that she'll continue to hurt me. I just gave myself a pep talk that had to do with not getting myself killed now. Temple will be getting closer. I have to go now.

"Grimes!" She screams the words at me as I begin to move back towards the tree line, so that I won't see her as I walk away. "Grimes, don't do this!"

That's when I get a punch to the gut as I remember my most recent dream.

 _I flip around multiple times, landing on my knees and hearing a thicken crunch. I let out a cry of pain, and the ground slowly disappears around me till I'm standing on a little piece of land floating in darkness. A small stick juts out, and then I see a hand is clinging on to that stick. I lean down to see a girl with dead eyes staring back at me, but I can't identify any color on her._

 _She croaks out in a voice I can't identify but I know I've heard before, "Help me, Mina, please!"_

 _I reach my hand out towards her. "Here, take my hand!"_

 _It's too late though. She loses her grip, slipping backwards, and her hand barely misses mine. I lean downwards, trying to reach her, but she drifts away. I blink, and then she's clinging to the branch, and my hand is hanging down for her to grab. She takes it, but I don't save her this time either._

 _"You're gonna pay for what you did. I want you to bow." Then, she let's go of the branch, pulling me down with her._

I recognized the voice in the dream. It was telling me about this. I don't save her, and then she'll end up killing me later. I don't know how, but my dreams have always been right so far, whether literally or in some symbolic way. I have to save her. I can't make the same mistake.

I dive down on my stomach, extending my hand. "Grab on!"

I'm too late. Her hands slip off, and she tries to grab mine. Like in the dream, it's to no avail. As I look at her, her eyes grow to look rather dead. All emotion leaves, and this rather deranged smile slips onto her face. Just like my dream. She opens her mouth and shouts something as she drops. I wish as hard as I can that I won't hear what she shouts, that the wind will block it out, but it doesn't in time. I hear it.

"You'll pay for this!" Those are the words she screams.

And I know I should believe her. I stand up, and something inside me registers the fact that the necklace has loosened a little and grown a bit cooler. Temple is closer. I have to go. I turn and run, but my mind is still focused on watching Savannah fall. What does she have in store? She's going to die from that drop. So how is she going to make me pay?

I run till I'm out of energy, which is partly from running and then jogging for as far as I did, and partly because the necklace - which I have now decided to call it officially - has tightened to what it was and then grown even tighter. Not to mention it's grown hotter as well, though not as much as expected. I'm slightly afraid now that I won't have to worry about what Savannah is going to do. I might just kill myself from trying to escape Temple with this necklace on.

"There's a girl there." A voice from the right.

"Do we shoot her?" Another one, also sounding male, says from the same side.

I swing around in both directions, and see nothing. But I'm in the middle of the woods, and it's getting dark, so I can't really say anything about whether or not that can tell me anything distance wise. I grab a stick, trying desperately use the Fae magic that has been eluding me all along, and that's when something else hits me. I don't think I've eaten, or had anything to drink, all this time. How on earth am I still alive? Distracted, I almost miss the arrow that gets shot at my face. Almost. My hand flies up to protect myself, but the arrow stops, an inch or two away. At first, I think it's my magic, and I grip the stick harder. It'll turn into a dagger if I need it too. I know it.

But when I try to make the arrow drop, it won't, and I realize with horror that it isn't my Fae magic that stopped it. Is it Prince Teague's? Is he saving my life again? Or is it someone else's?

"Why would you do that, idiot? She wants her alive!" That's another man's voice.

"For now." That's another ominous guy's voice.

That's four in all, right? So I only need to take on four men - Fae men, which makes things worse - armed with a stick and no Fae magic of my own for reasons I can't figure out. I could change into my Fae form, but I can't use Fae magic now. Why?

The arrow flies back to a hand that pops out from behind a tree to catch the shaft, and then I feel hands grab my neck.

"Night night." Once again, I find myself choking, and I try to pry them off. This, plus the necklace tightening, is too much though, and as I once again pass out the same guy says, "Sleep tight."

* * *

 **Oopsie. Poor Mina is getting choked again. Just so you guys know, it's completely intentional now that she keeps getting choked. I want something kind of consistent as a danger, so that I'm not overusing other ones in attempts to be creative, if that makes any sense. This way, we have something expected, and so then I can also throw you guys off with unexpected stuff when you guys expect choking. So ya! cx**

 **Anyways, please review with reactions. What did you guys think about the whole Savannah meeting? Why do you think she's in the Grimorie? And how do you think she got there? How is she going to get her revenge? What's up with these guys? Who do they work for? Do you think we know them, or nah?**

 **Now, I'll see you guys at my next update!**

 **~ Dagger**


	18. Chapter 17 - I Will Not Bow

**Chapter Seventeen - I Will Not Bow**

 **Hey hey hey, I'm back! ^-^ Let's see what you guys think of this chapter, because we need to find out who's decided to kidnap Mina this time!**

 **Evx : That is a good question. cx Lots of things just happened! What's going on is also a good question as well. We'll find out all that right now! And no, Mina can't get a break, because she is cursed. But would we really _want_ her to get a break? Unless it was a short break.**

 **tardiscompanion101 : I'm glad you kept reading! As for what Savannah is going to do, well, we'll be finding out soon enough! And you probably should be worried about Mina. She just can't get away from Fae who want to get her for one reason or another, can she? It probably won't end well, but it'll be extremely exciting! :D And no problem! I love updating this story. Thank you for reading! I'm super glad you can't wait for more!**

 **Now, that's enough from me. Let's get to the reason you guys are reading, which is the story!**

* * *

 _"There's a girl there." A voice from the right._

 _"Do we shoot her?" Another one, also sounding male, says from the same side._

 _I swing around in both directions, and see nothing. But I'm in the middle of the woods, and it's getting dark, so I can't really say anything about whether or not that can tell me anything distance wise. I grab a stick, trying desperately use the Fae magic that has been eluding me all along, and that's when something else hits me. I don't think I've eaten, or had anything to drink, all this time. How on earth am I still alive? Distracted, I almost miss the arrow that gets shot at my face. Almost. My hand flies up to protect myself, but the arrow stops, an inch or two away. At first, I think it's my magic, and I grip the stick harder. It'll turn into a dagger if I need it too. I know it._

 _But when I try to make the arrow drop, it won't, and I realize with horror that it isn't my Fae magic that stopped it. Is it Prince Teague's? Is he saving my life again? Or is it someone else's?_

 _"Why would you do that, idiot? She wants her alive!" That's another man's voice._

 _"For now." That's another ominous guy's voice._

 _That's four in all, right? So I only need to take on four men - Fae men, which makes things worse - armed with a stick and no Fae magic of my own for reasons I can't figure out. I could change into my Fae form, but I can't use Fae magic now. Why?_

 _The arrow flies back to a hand that pops out from behind a tree to catch the shaft, and then I feel hands grab my neck._

 _"Night night." Once again, I find myself choking, and I try to pry them off. This, plus the necklace tightening, is too much though, and as I once again pass out the same guy says, "Sleep tight."_

* * *

 _Mina's Point of View_

* * *

I open my eyes slowly, finding that my neck hurts more than I would've thought humanly possible. It takes me a moment to register that it's not just the necklace - although that has tightened considerably - and that part of this is me getting choked previously. Which reminds me of the fact that someone got me, and that is when the fact that I am moving really hits me. I watch trees go by in a blur, before looking forward to find that I'm riding on the back of a horse-man. That's a centaur, right? There's a rope that's tying me to this guy - probably to make sure I didn't fall off when I was knocked out - and I see two centaurs riding in front of us, and one to the right.

The centaur that I'm riding is a gray Lipizzan when looking at the horse aspect - I think - although his tail is a blue in color, which matches his human, messy, short hair. I can't see his face, so I don't know anything about it though.

"Careful now, newbie." The centaur to the right says to the one I'm riding. "She's awake."

"I can tell." He says it in an almost irritated fashion, which I guess makes sense, as he can probably feel me moving around on his back.

I decide not to speak at all, as at this point I'm not in the mood to find out what's happening to me. I've learned that no matter what, pretty much anything that happens to me is bad, so I might as well not even ask. At least I can prolong finding out what the bad thing that is going to happen to me is if I don't ask.

"What did she do to make her so mad?" The one I ride asks, and I sigh inwardly. Yes, what did I do to make someone mad this time? Who's after my blood now? I have the thought that maybe it's Savannah, but I watched her fall off the cliff. There's no way she could survive that fall, unless she caught the cliff edge or something. Despite the logic going on in my head to try and combat the idea of this being organized by Savannah, her threat remains in my head, and I can't shake the feeling that this is caused by her. Which is, to be quite frank, terrifying.

I glance over at the centaur to the right again, expecting him to answer, and get a better look at him. He appears to be a brown American Paint, with a pink tail and pink, short, curly hair. He has darker skin, and has fuchsia-colored eyes as well. The eyes cause the whole look to be rather unnatural. Then again, the centaur that I'm riding - which is honestly rather awkward as it feels wrong to be riding on him as if he's a saddled horse and not a Fae - has blue hair, so I suppose all centaurs look slightly unnatural.

Instead, the centaur directly in front of us speaks. He has whitish blonde hair - the first hair color I've seen that actually look somewhat normal - that's tied in a pony tail, and his horse body is an Andalusian, if I remember anything about the time Nix wanted wanted to teach me horse breeds, which I might not. Who knows?

"The stupid-" Blonde - it's much easier to refer to them by hair color in order to keep them straight, seeing as I don't know their names - begins, and I listen intently while trying to seem uninterested.

"Don't let her hear you calling her that." Pink interrupts.

Blonde glances back to glare at Pink, and I see his eyes. His eyes are a blue that I know I've seen before, and I think back to whenever I was stuck between Scylla and Charybdis. There was a wolf then, who turned out to be Prince Teague. Is this him too? And if it is, should I be happy about that? Or should I be worried? If it's him, I don't know if he'd help or hinder me here, which makes me concerned. I'm not sure if I should trust this centaur in front now or not. On the one hand, I can't jump to the conclusion that he's Prince Teague. On the other hand, I should be wary if he is.

He starts the same way as before, but continues the statement this time. "The stupid Sylph," That sounds like a Fae, but I've never heard of _that_ creature before, "wanted to test her. You know how she's like. Not doubt it was a dramatic situation, and even though she could've saved herself, she went with the theatrics in order to cause a fuss. That's her after all. A drama queen. And then she sent us to go fetch her, seeing as we could get there quickly. Quicker than her, at least."

"She made us do the work for her. It's stupid." The centaur to the right of Blonde speaks up, and I see that he's a black American Paint, and his tail is black. His hair is long and black, tied in a ponytail. "I can't comprehend how she managed to get our entire group to listen to her and do her every bidding."

"I can." Blonde responds. "She's got everyone agreeing to follow her, and is using some form of magic to bond them to her. It honestly shouldn't be possible for a Sylph, but she's managing it. No doubt someone else is helping. I suspect the Prince."

That seems fishy. It either derails my theory of Blonde potentially being Prince Teague, or it's like his comment from when he was being a wolf at the Charybdis and Scylla situation. Prince Teague said what some Fae believed there, and then said that he believed the Prince - meaning himself - sucked both those beasts into the Grimorie as an obstacle and punishment for the Grimm girls. At the time, I didn't know it was him, but if he said that,

"I ought to report you both for treason, discussing matters like this and talking about Her Majesty in such a matter.." Pink says, but when I look over, I see that he's grinning. That explains why his reference to this mysterious lady wasn't sounding too serious. These guys must all be tight, except for Blue, seeing as Pink called him 'newbie' earlier.

Blue's voice sounds very serious as he says, "Well, shouldn't we not be talking about her in such a manner? Wouldn't it make sense to say something?"

Blonde snorts. "You got a lot to learn, newbie. We don't report any other centaur for saying stuff like this unless you've sworn your loyalty to her, and I know for a fact you haven't. You don't want to either."

"And we aren't worried about this girl giving us away?" Black says, and I worry a tiny bit. I could be in for some trouble if they think I've heard too much or that I might give them away. "I mean, if she ends up needing to save her own skin, who says she won't turn us in?"

Dang it. Crap! I try to use my ever elusive magic in order to get this rope off so that I can get off this centaur and try to escape, but it's not working. And, of course, it's right now that my necklace really starts to burn. I'm not sure how I was ignoring it, but it's beginning to feel like murder, and I can finally feel it starting to squeeze. I knew it was tightening, but now it is actually beginning to restrict my breathing. I choke a little from shock, causing more attention to be dragged onto me. I attempt to pull at it with my fingers, but that really doesn't do much. But it does make me feel like I'm doing something to stop it, and that's what matters, right?

"I don't think we have to worry." Blonde says, looking back to meet my gaze and making me flinch. "She seems too frightened for her life to worry about ruining ours."

Is that a hidden message? I feel like I'm analyzing everything Blonde says too much, but I'm honestly terrified of the idea that he's Teague. Talk about paranoid. This whole 'no one is what they seem' thing is really starting to get to me at this point in the game, because it seems like no matter who I believe is who they claim to be, they seem to turn out not to be. Unless, of course, they make it obvious that they are evil. Then they're what they claim to be.

So I guess I should just start assuming everyone I meet either is lying or evil.

"I suppose you're right." Pink says, and Blue nods his agreement.

Black shrugs. "Well, I suppose there is no time to argue now. We're here."

I peer out from behind Blue in fear, but then all I see is tree. I blink, confused. This is where they live? In the trees?

"I hope you don't think we sleep on the ground, girl." Pink says, and when I glance over I see him grinning at me. "You must think we're quite primitive, seeing as your face proves that you thought we lived on the ground. We don't though. Try looking up."

He winks at the end, and I have the decency to look embarrassed. I do as instructed, looking up, and my eyes widen. Tree houses. There's this complex of tree houses that stretches out further than I can even imagine. But how do they get up?

"Hurry up!" Black and Blonde stand by a ramp I overlooked as Black calls us over, gesturing for Blue and Pink to follow them. "And Blue, you can probably untie the Grimm now. I doubt she can really do anything that would get her very far now."

There's an underlying statement there, and if there isn't, I've made one up. That statement happens to be that I'm totally going to die and there's nothing I can do to stop it. A fantastic message, right? I mean, there's the slight chance that he doesn't mean that and I'm overreacting due to not eating or drinking anything this entire time - although you'd think I'd be dead by now at this rate - but like I said, it's only slight.

"They've returned with the Grimm!" A voice shouts as Blue unties the rope holding me on, and walks up the ramp.

I lurch, unprepared for losing the thing keeping me on as well as the fact that I'm likely to slide off on the ramp. I've never ridding a horse, and while this is differently and I should be used to it now, I'm not. That rope was definitely the only thing keeping me on. I grab onto Blue, knowing without a doubt that I'm going to fall, until I realize that I'm not _because_ I'm grabbing on to Blue. Which, of course, makes me realize I'm grabbing on to him, so I let go slightly, unsure of how to stay on. He chuckles at my awkwardness, but doesn't offer any help as he goes up, coming to the flat area. We begin to walk, but I am just trying to keep myself on without being awkward. Blue still doesn't help at all, and I decide that I don't think I like centaurs very much. This whole experience has proven that. I don't like Fae magic very much either. What's the point if I can't use it to get anything done? I would've been better off teaching myself skills like untying knots.

Which I probably should've done anyways.

I look up to see Blue approaching an area with a very large crowd, and when they see us, they all quickly part. Now I see a somewhat cleared area made of the same planks everything else is, although I don't know what's keeping the crowd back. Probably a fence, although I can't see. There's a raised platform in the middle with a throne on it, and sitting on that throne is a girl with blonde hair. I have a feeling I know exactly who it is - I have for a while - but I decide to pretend I don't. Playing dumb is always smart, right? As we get closer to this platform - even though I'm inwardly screaming for me to somehow take control and send me riding in another direction - I see that I was correct in my guess that a fence is keeping the crowd back. The entire crowd is made up of centaurs, so this must be an all centaur civilization. As we get even closer to the raised platform - which I find that I am avoiding looking at - I see Blonde in the crowd, very close to the edge. His eyes are fastened on me, scaring me. I move my gaze away to find we are in front of the platform, and the girl stands.

"Your majesty." Blue bows down, and unprepared me slides a bit on his back, bumping into his back. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that was planned and purposeful. Stupid centaurs.

"I wish I could say it's lovely to see you, Wilhelmina Grimes, but it's not." Savannah, an apparent Fae that I never discovered was a Fae till now, stares down at me, and she does not look good at all.

Her hair is a tangled mess, looking like it's been letting a tornado live inside it. It's not nearly as amazing as it normally looks, and the crown made of branches that sits on it does not make it look regal. It makes it look like she got sticks stuck in her hair. There's a cut above her left eye which still looks to be bleeding, and I wonder for a moment if she let herself bounce off something in all her theatrics, as Blonde called them. Her blue eyes seem to have lost any emotion they might have had, as if it was sucked out. That's not even mentioning the fact that her mascara was running down her face, and she hasn't bothered to fix it. That's shocking, considering this is Savannah. And her smile. It's this creepy grin that no matter how many times you look at it, it doesn't get any better and makes you feel more and more uncomfortable. The fact that her lips are colored purple - they weren't before, so I don't know where she got the lip stick to do it - makes them look bruised as well, even though I know they aren't.

She looks flat out creepy overall, and that's not even considering her green dress that's too short or her bare feet, which make her look like some psycho that lives out in the woods. In fact, I feel like I've seen her like this before. At least, I feel like I've seen her head like this before. Oh, wait, I have, in my stupid dream who can't happen to be a bit more clear on details so that I can actually manage to avoid some of these events.

"Oh trust me, White, if it were up to me, I wouldn't be seeing your ugly face. Compared to you, you're right, I am lovely. And that's saying something." I don't know what I'm thinking, saying something like that, and I promptly dismount Blue - who is still kneeling - as I look around, trying to figure out if there's a way out.

Realizing there's not, I turn my attention back to Savannah, who looks shocked for a moment at my response before shaking her head. "Tsk tsk, and here I was thinking we could make a deal."

I shudder. The last few deals I've been making haven't really seemed to be going my way at all. I'm not sure I'm so ready to make anymore deals, especially if the deal is with one of the girls who contributed to my nightmare of a life. "I'm not interested in making a deal with someone like you."

"Ah, but it's simple, really." This comment that leaves Savannah's mouth makes me cringe. Is it ever really? No. "See, I can spare you life right now, Mina. I could have you killed right this instant, because I control all these Fae. I'm their queen." As if I didn't notice. How did she accomplish that one? I'm going to have to believe my four escorts on that whole idea. "Yet I'm not killing you. You know why? Because I know I made your life terrible, and I'm willing to make it more terrible. There's no swaying me on that note, seeing as you failed my test. You are a horrible person." She forgets the fact that she is one too. "But I might be swayed from flat out killing you, because believe me, it wouldn't be pretty, painless, or quick. You want to know what you'd have to do?"

"No." My answer is simple.

She ignores it, and goes full speed ahead anyways. "All you have to do is admit I am better than you."

"Oh, that's all?" I don't know what's gotten into me today, but that sarcastic response exits my mouth next. What can I say? Savannah brings out the worst in me. Although I don't think she's ever managed to get this much of a rise out of me before.

"I want you _groveling_ on the ground before me. I want to see you begging for your life. I want to see you on your knees before me. I want you to admit that I've been better than you all along." Doesn't she already believe that? Why does she need me to prove that. "It's simple really. I want you to _bow_."

I snort. "As if. I will not bow to you, Savannah White. And you can't make me."

"You really want to die that much?" She raises an eyebrow. "You are much stupider than I thought. I gave you more credit than you deserved."

She raises a hand and turns her head to the left as if to summon someone in order to give them an order - probably one to kill me - and then my mouth, once again, opens without permission. What is with it today? "Wait!"

She pauses, turning her attention back to me. "What? Have you changed your mind."

"No." I shake my head. "No, I haven't." But when she goes to go back to whatever she's doing, I continue to try and keep her attention by saying, "But I do happen to know that there are Fae here who are not pleased with you ruling."

This catches her attention. "What did you say?"

"You have Fae among your midst who aren't pleased with the fact that you are ruling here." I say in bigger words this time, looking over the crowd, although Savannah doesn't notice my scanning. She's too outraged by this.

I don't see Black or Pink anywhere. However, I do see Blonde, standing in the same place he was when I last saw him. He's a little ways to the right of the platform, standing in the front, although it looks like he'd like to try and slip backwards a bit. His eyes meet mine, and he gives a subtle shake of the head. Yet somehow, it doesn't feel like an order. It feels more like a request. He's asking me not to give him away, along with his buddies. And suddenly I realize that I can't do it, even if I want to stay alive. I just can't. Besides, at this point, it seems like all the cards are stacked against me. Maybe I'm just slated to die.

"Who are these Fae?" Savannah demands, bringing my attention back to her.

I meet her gaze, and say, "Promise me my life, and I'll tell you more."

She frowns, contemplating the idea and obviously not liking it. "How is that fair?"

"You get to be rid of the traitors, and I will be able to stay alive. Seems fair enough to me." I respond as smoothly as I can, formulating a plan.

"Give me the names." She says, extending a hand to demand them as if I can hand them to her.

I shake my head. "Not until you promise."

"Give me the names!" She demands again.

This time, I comply. "Well...Well, there's me for one."

She stares at me, shaking her head. "You don't count, you idiot. Who else?"

I give a shrug. "Who knows? I'm assuming there are others though. After all, who could appreciate you ruling over them?"

She shakes her head, turning to the left and speaking to someone. "Take her away."

"Wait!" I shout as Blue begins to step away. "We made a deal!"

She snorts. "Ha. You told me that you weren't interested in making deals with me. Besides, your information doesn't count. We already knew you didn't, and without any names, it doesn't matter." She pauses. "However, I'll let you live one more miserable day. I'll kill you tomorrow, but I'll torture you tonight."

I try to shake away the two sets of hands that grab me, looking up at her. I don't know what comes over me, but something does, and as I look at Savannah I scream. It's not a normal scream. It's an unearthly scream that makes me wince in pain. It does worse to those around me, who cover their ears and seem to be in immense pain. Savannah seems to be in the most pain, sinking to her knees and screaming some not nice words at me. I hesitate, not sure what I've done, before trying to run away. But that hesitation was all it took. The two centaurs - I can't see who they are - grab me again, and although I try to scream, those are just normal. I kick and squirm, but it doesn't work. I'm beginning to get dragged away, and it dawns on me that I've really messed up this time. I'm going to die.

* * *

 **Woah, that was a long chapter. Hopefully you guys liked it! I'm excited to see what you guys think about all this. What did you think of this discovery with Savannah? How do you feel about Black, Blonde, Blue, and Pink? Do you think any of them are Teague? If so, who? Or do you think none of them are? What do you think is going to happen to Mina now? And what was up with that scream? What does _that_ mean?  
**

 **Anyways, please review! I'll try and get another update up soon, but the more reviews given, the more likely I am to update! c: Thanks for reading! See you next update (or at another story I update, if you guys read any of my other stories)!**

 **~ Dagger**


	19. Chapter 18 - Save Your Breath And Stay

**Chapter Eighteen - Save Your Breathe And Stay Alive**

 **So I _was_ going to update Trouble : The New Generation. However, I just couldn't get my muse on the chapter. So, from there, I decided to try and update Spotlight next. But I wasn't feeling inspired there either. (I did actually attempt to start an update for both that I will hopefully be continuing soon.) So that's why I am back here, updating this twice in a row. cx Oops. Hopefully you guys like this update though, because I'm really inspired to write it and I'm super excited! Let's check up on Mina in the mess she's in, shall we?**

 **Evx : Ah, yes, everyone wants Savannah to die in my stories. cx Has she managed to tie with Grimorie yet hate wise? XD I hope you're happy to see this story updated so quickly! I'm glad you're so excited for it to be updated, so hopefully this lives up to this. And you'd do _anything_? Besides those two things? :p Hm, I'll keep that in mind for later. c; I'm glad you love the centaurs! They were super fun to write. This should satisfy you on needing to know what's happening next, although it might just make you crave another update. Ah yes, the annoying collar. Well, we'll have to see about that coming off. And yes, Temple can be rather mean. I see that he and Savannah are both not liked by you. XD And if you remember, Teague _did_ try and save her from Scylla. He just didn't really try very much. And I mean, he might want Mina to die. We're still going to have to find out whether or not that hate for what her ancestor Willa did and the want to punish her for it through the curse will be worth more to him than having her live.**

 **Now that I'm done rambling, let's get to the story! I'm super hyped! :D**

* * *

 _"Give me the names." She says, extending a hand to demand them as if I can hand them to her._

 _I shake my head. "Not until you promise."_

 _"Give me the names!" She demands again._

 _This time, I comply. "Well...Well, there's me for one."_

 _She stares at me, shaking her head. "You don't count, you idiot. Who else?"_

 _I give a shrug. "Who knows? I'm assuming there are others though. After all, who could appreciate you ruling over them?"_

 _She shakes her head, turning to the left and speaking to someone. "Take her away."_

 _"Wait!" I shout as Blue begins to step away. "We made a deal!"_

 _She snorts. "Ha. You told me that you weren't interested in making deals with me. Besides, your information doesn't count. We already knew you didn't, and without any names, it doesn't matter." She pauses. "However, I'll let you live one more miserable day. I'll kill you tomorrow, but I'll torture you tonight."_

 _I try to shake away the two sets of hands that grab me, looking up at her. I don't know what comes over me, but something does, and as I look at Savannah I scream. It's not a normal scream. It's an unearthly scream that makes me wince in pain. It does worse to those around me, who cover their ears and seem to be in immense pain. Savannah seems to be in the most pain, sinking to her knees and screaming some not nice words at me. I hesitate, not sure what I've done, before trying to run away. But that hesitation was all it took. The two centaurs - I can't see who they are - grab me again, and although I try to scream, those are just normal. I kick and squirm, but it doesn't work. I'm beginning to get dragged away, and it dawns on me that I've really messed up this time. I'm going to die._

* * *

 _Mina's Point of View_

* * *

Sitting in a wooden, dark cell, I push myself further into the corner, as if it'll help me to disappear from existence. I also shut my eyes, although there's not much of a difference when I do. Whether they open or close, everything is pretty much pitch black. In the dark, I let my hands grab at my neck. To be more specific, I allow them to grab and feel the necklaces there. There's an "s" on the end because I now have two, thanks to the lovely Savannah White. Templestiltskin's still is rather warm to touch, and the difference in temperature and tightness when comparing it to the newest one is almost surprising. Almost.

Savannah's is white, and from what I heard when I was eavesdropping while I was having it forced on, it works the same as Templestiltskin's. Which is a shame. If only it grew colder, then it might balance out Temple's. Seriously, is anyone creative here? Or does everyone use this device? I guess the point of having this put on me is to ensure that I won't get very far if I try and somehow succeed in getting out of this awful cell. Templestilskin's necklace has actually grown a bit cooler and loosened the tiniest bit, but no amount of tugging and prying is showing any success in getting either one off.

Not that it really matters, seeing as I'm scheduled to be executed tomorrow. Or is today? I don't know what time of day it is or how long I've been here after being tortured.

I've shut my eyes for two reasons, and neither reason is for sleep or because of the dark, although both might be legitimate ideas. Not that I really want to sleep. I'd rather savor the last bit of time I have before dying, even though I'll spend a lot of it dreading the fact that I'm going to die.

The first reason happens to be the fact that I have them closed to try and keep any tears I'm risking releasing at bay. I'm going to die. It's finally sunk in, and so I don't really have to be strong any more. It's not that I consider crying to be for the weak either way, as I've cried before, although crying in this situation is probably somewhat weak. However, as much as I want to cry, I also don't want to at the same time. I don't want to give Savannah the satisfaction of knowing that she's gotten to me. I won't let her break me. I won't let her see me be vulnerable or weak, because that's how she'll see it. And deep down, I have a feeling I'll see it like that too.

The second reason is so that I don't have to look at my hands and arms. It's silly, because they hurt either way, especially because I'm trying to use them to pry these necklaces off so I can die without them on. I don't want to die looking like I was owned by anyone. It's also silly to close my eyes so that I won't have to see them, as the room is dark enough that I won't be able to see them either way. But somehow closing them makes me feel like I can ignore it, even though I know I can't because of the pain. They were injured while I was being tortured, before I was locked in here. Although punching the wall probably didn't help. I got thrown around - literally - and insulted during the whole torture process, but that wasn't the worst of it. My arms and hands were injured very purposefully, being cut up a bit and bruised. If I'm correct, they're still bleeding. Savannah claimed it was more to hinder me escaping than anything else, although if anything you'd think my legs would be broken or something if they wanted to accomplish that. So, I know differently. Does it hinder any escape I might be able to make if my arms and hands are injured and in pain? Yes. But it is more to hurt me - and probably my pride - than anything else.

I hate the stupid Sylph. How did I never notice that Savannah was Fae? I'll admit, she's been better at concealing it than I would've expected, although I can't figure out how she got into the Grimorie. I bet I'd hate other Sylphs too, if I knew what they were.

"Mina?" That's when I hear a voice I haven't heard in a very long time.

I open one eye cautiously at my name, wary of the fact that this could be a trick. No, I'm not just wary about it. I'm worried for it, because it almost definitely is a trick, yet I'm already getting my hopes up. I need to stop that. I will not get my hopes up over a trick. A trick that would be exceedingly cruel. However, out of that one eye, I see that everything is black, which isn't true. Except for the fact that I don't feel like I'm sitting on the floor anymore. Instead, it feels as if I'm floating, and I realize that both of the necklaces around my neck are gone. I open my other eye, feeling around my neck in confusion. What happened? I spin around, searching for the speaker, because I want some answers. Not to mention the fact that I really want to see him again.

And I do. He flickers in and out of my vision, and he's exactly as I remember him before I saw him laying on the floor dead. I rush towards him, and he hugs me. It's then that I realize that he's not solid, because his arms don't really feel like they're there. If I wanted to, I could probably go right though him. But I pretend like I'm a little girl again, being held by my dad. He was the only one in my family who loved me.

"Dad?" I ask, my voice shaky, and when I look up, I see him nod. Now I nearly begin to sob, so relieved to see him, although I don't. I'm safe in his arms. It dawns on me then that he's dead, so it shouldn't be possible to see him unless I am too. And if I'm dead, that would certainly explain why where we are is so weird. "Am I dead?"

He pauses, letting his arms come back to his sides and shakes his head. "Not necessarily."

I frown. "What is that supposed to me?"

"That depends on what you decide." He responds, but I can tell from his eyes that he expects me to make a certain decision.

"What does it matter? I'm going to die either way." My response is bitter. "If I'm not dead now, then I will be soon. Savannah is going to kill me. It'd be much better not to give her the satisfaction."

He actually looks a bit angered by my statement. "What happened to my daughter who wasn't going to let anything stop her?"

"Everything got worse when you died, and now I've nearly died so many times. I'm obviously going to sooner than later, so I'd rather do it on my terms over anyone else's." I say, but I avoid his gaze, because I'm afraid to look. I'm afraid to see the disappointment that I can imagine will be there.

"Do you want me to be dead for nothing?" He asks, although he's basically yelling at me, and I finch. "It's your fault I died, Wilhelmina!"

He's using my full name. He only uses that when he's really mad. But I can barely think about that. I burst into tears, sinking down. "It's not my fault!"

"It is your fault! If you hadn't gotten hurt, I wouldn't have died!" He's still shouting at me.

"No. No no no." I grab my knees, pulling them to my chest as I curl up to try and block him out.

"You _killed_ me." He keeps going, and it's literally killing me.

"No! No, I didn't!" I sob the words. "Stop it!"

His response is, "Then don't choose to die. If you don't want me to have died for no reason, and if you don't want my death to be your fault, then get up and save your life! Or are you going to let your mother be right?"

That makes me stop in my tracks. I choke, my tears stopping. My mother hates me. She always has, and never wanted me. I can't let her be right. The mere thought of that makes me angry.

"My mother is wrong about me! How could you say that?" I snap the words at my dad, looking up to face him again.

But he's not there. No one is. Instead, a voice echoes in my head. My mother's. "Your father's death is your fault, Wilhelmina. In fact, all of this is your fault."

"No, it's not!" I snarl the words, climbing to my feet and looking around to try and locate the source of her voice.

"Oh, but it is." I can imagine her shaking her head as she says it. "You are a foolish, stupid, little girl."

"I am not!" I shout the words this time, still spinning around and feeling rather foolish as I look for her.

She laughs. "I wish you'd never even come into existence. Then my husband would still be alive, and my son wouldn't be mute. You've brought nothing but misery on my family."

"How can you say things like that?" I ask, honestly not sure how she is able to say such horrible things. "How can you say that you don't want your own daughter? You act as if I've never even been yours!"

"I didn't _want_ you." She hisses back, and I flinch involuntarily, even though I knew that. "You are worthless trash and a pathetic excuse for a creature. You belong in the Grimorie, because that's where monsters are kept. And you are certainly a monster." My hands curl into fists as she keeps going. "You never learned how to fit in, yet you wonder why no one likes you."

"That's not my fault!" I cry out.

"You have no friends. After all, who would want to be friends with you?" It ends in a laugh that makes me even angrier.

I shake my head. "You are a liar! I have a friend. Nix Taylor!"

She laughs again. "And where is he now, Wilhelmina? It doesn't count if he's dead."

"Just stop already!" My hands uncurl from their firsts, and I grab my ears. "Just stop!"

"You are playing a game I told you you wouldn't be able to win. I told you it was going to be horrible, didn't I? Just give up now. You can't win. You'll just end up dead sooner or later." She's parroting what I said earlier. "Why not just die now on your own terms? Prove how _weak_ you are, Wilhelmina. Prove me _right._ "

"No!" I finally shout the words at her. "I'm going to survive, and I'm going to prove you wrong! I am not weak! I deserve to exist! You were lucky to have me! I can win this game!"

Everything begins to flicker in and out, and then suddenly everything begins to spin. I hear my mother's voice say something unintelligible. And then I hear my father's voice say two simple words. "Thank you."

I open my eyes to find myself in the same position I was in my cell that I was whenever I shut my eyes. I release my grip on the necklaces which have returned, deciding not to bother with them. I can't get them off. I have to focus on escaping right now. I run a hand across the wall, ignoring the fact that it still hurts, as I look for any place that might allow me to get out. As I walk the border of the room, I reach a section that I can only guess is the door. Curious, I push my ear against it to see if I can hear anything through the wood.

"If we're looking to rebel against the stupid tyrant 'Her Majesty' so much, why don't we just free this girl and get her out of here?" One of the centaurs standing guard says this, and it startles me. I know both of the centaurs who on guard, unless they changed out. They were the two that escorted me to this cell after the torture process, and they happen to be Blonde and Blue. I can't tell their voices apart though.

The other hisses, "Quiet! Do you want us to get killed?"

"No. I've just been thinking this entire time that-" The other begins again, but they're quickly interrupted.

"There's your problem." The second one says again. "You've been thinking. Don't do that."

The first one seems shocked. "She saved our lives!"

The second one - who I think might be Blue - says, "So? She was going to rat us out originally, and I would like to stay alive."

Number one sighs. "So I'm doing this the hard way?"

This startles me, and I scurry backwards, finding that I can still hear them as I push against the corner, trying to hide myself. "What do you mean, you're doing this the hard wa-"

They don't get to finish the statement, and I hear the sound of a hoof colliding with...something. I don't really want to know what just happened, but I'm really wanting to hide in this corner. I don't know what's going on, but I'm terrified. I can't really figure out what was going on in that conversation, and that terrifies me.

The door opens, and light comes flooding in, and I blink. It seems so bright compared to this dark room, and it takes me a moment to even be able to see. It's like it temporarily blinded me. However, when I can, a centaur stands in the light in full glory. I expect to see Blonde there, but I don't. Instead, I see Blue, and I'm too stunned to say anything. I didn't even consider it, but here it is, right smack in my face. He was blue and gray in coloring. It all makes sense. How did I miss it?

He slowly begins to shrink down a bit, and the whole horse part disappears, turning into normal, human-looking legs. His hair changes to black in color, and the tail disappears completely. His hair adjusts a little in style as well, becoming it's normal look again. His clothes are there, the black in color I'm still getting used to when considering the gray clothes I saw him in for two weeks. And his eyes. The eyes that I once thought were gray stay the same, because they were blue the entire time. I thought I knew Blonde's eyes as his, but I can see now that I was wrong. If I'd seen Blue's eyes, I would've known.

"Miss me, Princess?" A smirk takes his face, and he extends his arms almost as if he's expecting me to run over and hug me. "Your prince has come to save you from the tower."

I can't decide if I want to cry in relief from the fact that he's saving me - again - or murder him.

* * *

 **Woah! How many of you guys saw all _that_ coming? What do you guys think about the fact that Mina now has two necklaces that do the same thing on? What did you guys think of Mina's encounter with her father? What about all the stuff her mother's voice was saying? How do you feel about how she handled it all? And what about the arrival of Teague? Were you expecting him to come? Did you think he was one of the centaurs, or were you expecting him to arrive as himself? If you did think he was one of the centaurs, did you think he was Blue? Or were you expecting him to be one of the others, such as Blonde?  
**

 **Please review! I loving hearing about what you guys think, and seeing the answers to any of the questions I asked! Do you guys have any predictions? Hopes? Worries? Reactions? Please let me know!**

 **See you (figuratively) at the next update, or at any of my other current stories that you might be reading!**

 **~ Dagger**


	20. Chapter 19 - Rocky Roads Ahead

**Chapter Nineteen - Rocky Roads Ahead**

 **Soooo I realized I had a few options. I could either work on the update for one of my other stories that I wasn't feeling inspired for at the moment, or I could work on an update for Little Black Star that I would be inspired for. Naturally, I chose working on this update, because if I'm inspired it'll be better. I know, I know, some of you (and maybe even people who don't read this story but read the others) are waiting for those, and I promise that they'll be coming soon. I just would rather work on something I'm inspired for so that I can be happy with it rather than force myself to write something that I'll just be banging my head on a table over (I have done that before).**

 **Evx : Haha, that's amazing! Tell them that they are welcome. :p I love to hear the torture I subject people to, especially emotionally- I mean, what? Aw, I'm so sorry for them. c; And I'm glad Teague's arrival is reacted to the same by you as it is by Mina. At least he's here, right? That's a start!**

 **Guest 1 : I'm glad you liked the appearance of Templestiltskin. I'd like to work in a few more appearances of other characters from the book - as there are still quite a few people I could include - and, as you've seen, Templestiltskin is still in the game. As for Nix, well, ya. I mean, I can't hurt him anymore, right? But I did go hurt him pretty badly. Oops. I'm glad you appreciated the Claire and co appearance, and that you love the story even with it's cliff hangers (both literal and figurative). And that is probably a perfect reaction to Teague. xD**

 **tardiscompanion101 : Poor Mina is right. But I mean, she's not suffering as badly as she is in some of my other stories. cx Although you are right, she doesn't deserve this crap. She normally never does, I just throw it to her anyways. After all, what would the story be if I didn't?**

 **Now, let's get to the actual reason you guys are reading, even though I'm sure my awesome comments on your reviews play a part in why you keep coming back. :3**

* * *

 _This startles me, and I scurry backwards, finding that I can still hear them as I push against the corner, trying to hide myself. "What do you mean, you're doing this the hard wa-"_

 _They don't get to finish the statement, and I hear the sound of a hoof colliding with...something. I don't really want to know what just happened, but I'm really wanting to hide in this corner. I don't know what's going on, but I'm terrified. I can't really figure out what was going on in that conversation, and that terrifies me._

 _The door opens, and light comes flooding in, and I blink. It seems so bright compared to this dark room, and it takes me a moment to even be able to see. It's like it temporarily blinded me. However, when I can, a centaur stands in the light in full glory. I expect to see Blonde there, but I don't. Instead, I see Blue, and I'm too stunned to say anything. I didn't even consider it, but here it is, right smack in my face. He was blue and gray in coloring. It all makes sense. How did I miss it?_

 _He slowly begins to shrink down a bit, and the whole horse part disappears, turning into normal, human-looking legs. His hair changes to black in color, and the tail disappears completely. His hair adjusts a little in style as well, becoming it's normal look again. His clothes are there, the black in color I'm still getting used to when considering the gray clothes I saw him in for two weeks. And his eyes. The eyes that I once thought were gray stay the same, because they were blue the entire time. I thought I knew Blonde's eyes as his, but I can see now that I was wrong. If I'd seen Blue's eyes, I would've known._

 _"Miss me, Princess?" A smirk takes his face, and he extends his arms almost as if he's expecting me to run over and hug me. "Your prince has come to save you from the tower."_

 _I can't decide if I want to cry in relief from the fact that he's saving me - again - or murder him._

* * *

 _Mina's Point of View_

 _(at this point, you probably expect that, but I do promise you'll eventually get a chapter that's not her perspective!)_

* * *

I think the shock of everything that's happened finally gets to me as I look at the pigheaded prince, and my legs become jelly, causing me to fall onto my knees on the ground. Hard. At this point, I don't care that it hurts. I'm just relieved that I'm going to survive. At least, I think I'm going to survive. With this prince, I'm not sure.

"Um..." Teague looks as if he's not quite sure what to do with the fact that my legs have literally given out beneath me, and actually seems rather uncomfortable. "Are you okay?" It's a really stupid question for him to ask. While the fall didn't hurt super badly, I have other injuries that do hurt, and he should know that. Not to mention the fact that I am emotionally hurt and scarred, and that the whole point of this curse is to make me suffer. I think, anyways. It doesn't matter all that much. The point is, he should already know the answer. "No, that was a dumb question. Of course you aren't okay."

He definitely seemed smarter when he was Jared, at least in my opinion. "Obviously."

"Let me see." He orders, and I make a face.

"They aren't that bad. I'm fin-" I try and argue, because I realize that I don't know if I want to give Teague the satisfaction of knowing that his curse is getting to me.

He stops me. "Let me see them, Princess." I wince a little as he uses the nickname he used while being Jared.

"Fine." I mutter, extending my hands and arms out in front of me - facing so that my palms are upwards - so that he can see them. He approaches, kneeling down with a concerned look on his face, and gently takes my left arm so that he can examine it further. I take the moment to smack him across the face with my still bleeding right hand. It might not be the best decision I've made, but it's satisfying. "That felt good."

He pulls back as he let's go of my arm - more from shock than pain, I'm sure - and looks angry. "What was that for?"

"For sending me into this torture!" There goes the idea of not letting Teague know he's getting to me, although that had 'failure' written all over it from the start.

He sighs, obviously sounding as if he is trying so hard not to lose his patience with me. "Look, I'm trying to help you, so I'd prefer if you _didn't_ slap me. Just let me fix you up." Ya, slapping him was not a good idea. It's best not to get on the Dark Prince's bad side.

Teague takes my left arm back again, waving his hand over it. A warm, gold glow rushes over my arm accompanied by a feeling that tickles, and the cuts and bruises disappear as the glow and feeling does as well. He repeats this with my right arm, and also with my side - through my shirt - so that the bruises from being thrown around and hitting things there are gone. However, he doesn't help my neck injuries, and so I decide to ask him about it.

"What about my neck?" The question leaves my lips as my own hand reaches up there, feeling how raw it feels and the two, rather cold necklaces adorning it.

He shakes his head. "That would be cheating."

I raise an eyebrow suspiciously. "So you can heal the rest of my injuries and save my life, but you can't heal my neck and take the necklaces off?"

"That's the way it works, yes." Of course, he makes it sound like it's obvious, but that just frustrates me. "Now come on, Savannah and her guards will be coming soon to get you for your execution. I'm assuming you don't want that, so let's get you up and out of here." I try to stand, but my legs shake too much and I fall back down, this time onto my backside. "Here, take my hand." He extends his right hand out to me.

I grab it with both of my hands, and try to get myself up with his help. It doesn't work though, because my legs still shake and I fall back down, releasing his hand as I do. What is up with them? "Stupid legs."

"Ugh, we don't have time for this." Teague says, running a hand through his hair in a frustrated fashion. "You must've hurt them somehow."

"Can you heal them?" I ask, thinking about the fact that I am at a serious disadvantage if I can't walk.

He shakes his head. "Yes, but not right now. It'll take too much time. We'll have to get you out of here a different way."

Before I can protest, he picks me up, holding me bridal style. So, of course, I protest after. "Teague!"

"Calm down. I'm saving your life. Are you seriously going to criticize how I go about doing that?" He asks, and while I guess it _is_ rather ridiculous when he puts it like that, I'm not going to admit that.

That's when the realization of just how close our faces are together hits me. He's already turning his head away, beginning to leave this cell and head out. However, I'm still looking up at his face, and thinking about the fact that, while we were in the cell, I actually felt like Teague was concerned for me. Not only that, but for a split second, it actually seemed like he was full out worried about me. It's probably a ridiculous thought. There's no way he would feel like that when it has to do with me. I'm just a Grimm girl that's he has cursed, and I don't even know what happens if I manage to break the curse.

Happy moment ruined. Go me.

I turn my gaze away from Teague's face, and he uses his shoulder to shove the door of this jail building - at least, that's what I think it is, as the cell I was locked in is in here - open, and a loud, alarm-like sound goes off. Instinctively, my arms go up to wrap around his neck out of fear so that I can cling to him. He snickers at me, and I drop my arms, embarrassed. Although I will admit I'm also irritated by the fact that he's laughing at me.

"No worries. I'll protect you from the scary alarm." He's still amused by my action, and probably by my embarrassment as well.

So, naturally, I defend myself. "It's not the alarm I'm scared of. It's what the alarm _means_."

He waves it off as if it's nothing. "I told you I came to save you, did I not? Don't worry. It wouldn't be much of a fairytale if the prince failed to save his princess, now would it?"

"Can you just stop calling me that?" I ask.

He doesn't respond. Instead, I feel his hold shift slightly to a more protective way of carrying me, and he takes off running. I close my eyes, tilting my head towards Teague so that I won't have to see what's happening. I would like to believe that he'll save me, however this whole situation that's occurring scares me, and reminds me of what happened last time Teague came to save me. I ended up getting snatched by one of Scylla's heads. Granted, that was better than sinking with the ship, all he really did was shove me behind him and then fly off when the head grabbed me. So, I guess it's okay for me to be concerned that Teague might not save me. At some point, I'd like to ask him why he made one small, pathetic effort to try and help me and then just flew away. Now is _probably_ not the right time.

"Wilhelmina Grimm is escaping with another, unidentified Fae! Initiate lock down!" The voice of Savannah White booms out over some sort of intercom - probably the same thing that the alarm went off on - and I hear the sound of hoof steps.

"Crap." Teague mutters under his breathe. I barely manage to make it out. "Dang it."

A little bit of fear runs through me. That doesn't sound good at all. "Teague," I say his name hesitantly, "you do have a plan...right?"

"Of course I do." He says it like I'm ridiculous, and I feel slightly stupid. I also am annoyed by it though. Just a moment ago, he made it sound like that announcement was really bad. Now? He's acting like it's ridiculous that I even dare to ask such a question. "I just can't go rushing out of you right away, so we're gong to need to do something else. I'm going to have to throw the hounds off our scent, because I can't just teleport you out of here. I can get us down, and then you are going to hide. Okay? I'll come back for you once they think we've gotten away."

"Do you promise?" I ask nervously. I can't help but wonder if he won't actually come back for me. That would be worse than a lot of other things he could do, if I think about it.

He humors me - I can tell that's how he views what he's doing by the look on his face - and nods. "Of course."

He rushes down a ramp, and when I turn my head to look ahead of us I see large spikes jutting out of the ground around this little tree civilization. Wonderful. They've really designed this place well, haven't they? Teague makes his way over to a tree, and examines the ground. I follow his example, and see a hole underneath. I have a feeling I know what he's thinking. I also have a feeling that I'm not going to like it.

"I'm going to set you into this hole, okay?" I shake my head even as he says the words.

"No no no, please Teague, no." I whimper, still shaking my head.

He tilts his head, taken by surprise and seeming frustrated with me. "We don't have time to argue. This is a perfect hiding spot."

"But it's going to be dark and small! There will barely be any room for me to hide, and there will be no way for me to escape!" I try and argue with him, but he shakes his head.

"Do you want me to save your pitiful life or not?" That stings. I say nothing, and he takes that to mean that I do. "Then you're just going to have to deal with this. Stay put, alright? Don't let them catch you."

It's not like I'll have much of a choice in whether or not I stay put. From what I can tell, my legs are still injured. That's why Teague is carrying me, after all. Even if there _was_ a back entrance, I wouldn't be able to get through it fast enough. I'd literally have to drag my legs along behind me, and that would go painstakingly slow. Not to mention it would totally give me away. If anyone comes and finds me here, I'm doomed. Not that Teague seems to think of that. He sets me down not quite as gently as he could've - although it's more gentle than I expect - and I sit under the tree, terrified. If I'm caught, I am dead meat. There'll be no saving done by Teague if that happens.

"I'll be back once they think we're gone." And on that note, the prince is gone.

I sit there in the dark, turning my gaze away from the dirt wall on my right side and staring up the hole that is slightly to my left to see what's going on. It's really dark outside now that the small, invisible light sources that the centaurs have on their wooden, tree village are gone, and it doesn't seem to be getting any lighter. I guess it depends on whether it's passed midnight or not. For all I know, it might get even darker. My breathing seems way too loud, but I don't know how to quiet it. My heartbeat is going too fast, pounding so loud that I'm sure everyone around can hear it.

I hear a rustle from above, and suck my breath in nervously. I want to let myself believe that it's Teague returning already for me, but I know it's not the case. Maybe it's something harmless, like a vampire turtle. But I shouldn't let myself believe that. I know that it's much, much more likely that Savannah's lovely centaurs that she has control over are coming closer. I can't let them find me, but if they see this hole, I'm a goner. I doubt they won't see it too. So my only hope is to use Fae magic.

The only issue is the fact that I haven't been able to use that magic that I've been practicing with before I came in here since I came in here, and that means that my fate rests on something that is pretty much impossible.

 _Please don't look in here._ I will. _Please don't look._

"There's a whole over there, guys." A voice says - I think it's Black's - and my hopes are dashed.

The response comes from someone I don't recognize. "Well check it out then."

Inwardly, I begin to sob. I'm going to die. It's all gone to waste. I'm going to be murdered. I got my hopes up for nothing.

 _"Then don't choose to die. If you don't want me to have died for no reason, and if you don't want my death to be your fault, then get up and save your life! Or are you going to let your mother be right?"  
_

My dad's words echo in my head, and I hug myself tighter, trying to pull myself together so that I don't sob out loud. Not that it really matters, seeing as they've seen the hole, but at least I'm not giving myself away. If I die, then I have to know that my dad's death was for nothing and that I can't do anything in order to be forgiven for the fact that he died because of me. I can't die. Yet what else am I supposed to do?

I shut my eyes, wishing that I could to be anything else than myself so that I can survive, and I prepare for the fact that I am about to be brought for my execution.

* * *

 **Uh oh. We had a kind of cute, kind of argumentative chapter with Teague and Mina. And then, as we saw, he left her to try and protect her. Of course, that didn't seem to end very well. What do you think is going to happen? Is Mina going to have escaped, only to get caught again? Is Teague going to save her? Also, do you agree with Mina about her thought that Teague wasn't actually concerned and/or worried for her? Or do you disagree, and think that he was? Please let me know what you guys are worried about, what you hope for, what you liked, what you disliked, what your theories are, what your reactions you are, and anything else you may want to let me know in your review! ^-^  
**

 **I'll see you next time, whether that's at another one of my stories or at my next update here. Also, I hope you guys are happy that I actually gave Little Black Star (and some of my other stories) cover photos! They deserved them.**

 **~ Dagger**


	21. Chapter 20 - Found You!

**Chapter Twenty - Found You**

 **Hey guys! It's the amazingly-nice-to-her-characters, never-wanting-to-trick-or-mess-with-anyone's-emotions Dagger, back to give you yet another chapter of Little Black Star! I'm super excited to continue this. Are you excited for this newest chapter? I wrote it all on a _very_ long car ride, although I had it planned out ahead of time. As you guys might've guessed, this story is rather long, and it will be getting split into at least two stories (counting this one) so that it's not WAY too long. So yes, that means you guys will have to wait a little bit (probably) for the sequel once this finishes. xD But it'll be worth it! Besides, we aren't nearly there yet (although we are getting closer). Let's just focus on the chapter I'm posting now! :D I loved writing it so much.**

 **Evx : Ha, I'd feel the same way in their shoes. xD I'm glad you loved this chapter a lot! We'll have to find out this chapter if Teague comes back to get her. I'm sure everyone is hoping he will along with you! And I'm glad you found it cute! It was really fun to write, as I thought it was a cute bit of development of the relationship she has with Teague, and it was a bit happier than some of the stuff that's happened in the story. You guys deserve some happy-fun-cute stuff in this story along with the pain and suffering. I'm glad you loved the chapter so much!**

 **Life as a Siren : I'm glad the prologue was so good. I have been continuing this story (as you know from the PM I sent you), so i hope you read the rest of this story and find it just as good! It's so much fun to write. cx**

 **fanfic authoress : Ooh, you changed your name! Nice! c; I'm not sure if that was a good "AHHHHH!" or a bad "AHHHHH!" though. xD Anyways, I'm glad you're glad, and I'm also glad that you can't wait to see what happens next! As for Mina? Well, we'll just have to see if she's okay or not. :p**

 **Thank you guys so much for the reviews! You're amazing! Now for the actual story.**

 **Also, did you guys appreciate my reference to Jared from Fairest last chapter? xD I was SUPER happy to have found a way to put it in. xD**

* * *

 _I hear a rustle from above, and suck my breath in nervously. I want to let myself believe that it's Teague returning already for me, but I know it's not the case. Maybe it's something harmless, like a vampire turtle. But I shouldn't let myself believe that. I know that it's much, much more likely that Savannah's lovely centaurs that she has control over are coming closer. I can't let them find me, but if they see this hole, I'm a goner. I doubt they won't see it too. So my only hope is to use Fae magic._

 _The only issue is the fact that I haven't been able to use that magic that I've been practicing with before I came in here since I came in here, and that means that my fate rests on something that is pretty much impossible._

Please don't look in here. _I will._ Please don't look.

 _"There's a whole over there, guys." A voice says - I think it's Black's - and my hopes are dashed._

 _The response comes from someone I don't recognize. "Well check it out then."_

 _Inwardly, I begin to sob. I'm going to die. It's all gone to waste. I'm going to be murdered. I got my hopes up for nothing._

"Then don't choose to die. If you don't want me to have died for no reason, and if you don't want my death to be your fault, then get up and save your life! Or are you going to let your mother be right?" _  
_

 _My dad's words echo in my head, and I hug myself tighter, trying to pull myself together so that I don't sob out loud. Not that it really matters, seeing as they've seen the hole, but at least I'm not giving myself away. If I die, then I have to know that my dad's death was for nothing and that I can't do anything in order to be forgiven for the fact that he died because of me. I can't die. Yet what else am I supposed to do?_

 _I shut my eyes, wishing that I could to be anything else than myself so that I can survive, and I prepare for the fact that I am about to be brought for my execution._

* * *

 _Mina's Point of View (shocker, right?)_

* * *

I sense someone leaning down over the hole and peering inside, and I force myself to open my eyes. I'll face my executioners proudly, and fight them somehow, even though my legs still are injured so I can't even properly escape. Except something seems...off about the hole. Is it bigger than it was before? It's probably impossible, although part of me reasons that I can't say anything is impossible anymore after some of the Fae magic I've seen and other things I've witnessed. Tilting my head up, I see Pink staring back down at me. Seriously? He had to be in this group. I actually kind of liked him.

He crouches down - if that's even possible for centaurs to do - and single-handedly pulls me out of the dark hole, although he and everything else seems bigger than before. "Well look what we have here?" I'm not sure how he managed that. I guess with Fae magic.

I try and protest, but all that comes out is a hiss. No, it can't be. Since protesting with words didn't work, I try to respond with actions instead and slap him. He's so much bigger than he was before though, and so I can't even manage to reach him from where he holds me. Maybe I should've tried to slap his arm instead. However, what startles me more than me not managing to slap him is the fact that my hand is no longer a hand at all. It's a _paw_.

"A cat?" A centaur with lime green hair that I haven't seen before - at least I don't have to worry about even slightly liking him - asks, emerald green eyes looking me over disapprovingly. "You mistook that stupid, pitiful cat for the Grimm?" Hey, is he insulting me as a cat?

"Cats are amazing." Pink responds rather defensively. "And besides, that hole is really dark, and I never even said I saw the Grimm in it."

Greenie shakes his head, saying, "Pathetic," as Pink scratches my head.

I hiss a little, trying to pull my head away. Can he cut it out?

"I think I'll keep it." Pink announces to the group - or maybe just to Greenie, I don't know if any other centaurs are with them - as he holds me up a little so that my chocolate brown paws dangle down in front of me. "I could use a buddy."

Oh gosh no. There's no way on either plane or in this book that I would let that happen. Since I can't say how I feel about that idea, I respond a different way. I swing a paw at him, hissing yet again. This time he is caught off guard by the action as he wasn't focused on me, releasing me. For once, luck is on my side, because I land on my feet. Although perhaps that isn't so lucky, because my hind paws and legs hurt and nearly collapse from underneath me. Painfully, I pull myself into the hole as fast as I can.

I hear Black chuckle from outside. How did I not notice him before? "That cat seems to have other ideas."

Pink peers into my hole again, and I press myself against the wall furthest from the hole. "Here kitty kitty kitty." If he reaches his hand in this whole, I will bite him or claw him to make him leave me alone. I might as well use this form to defend myself.

Before I can find out if he intends to try and pull me out, he's stopped. "Leave the poor creature be." Black orders much to my relief, and Greenie snickers. "We're wasting time here. Let's get a move on and find the Grimm."

After a moment of hesitation, Pink disappears from where I can see. Hoofsteps and rustling tell me that the whole group of centaurs leaves the area. Then? silence for a long time.

After a while of laying there in the dark hole, I hear hoofsteps again from outside it, and someone says, "I wonder if the cat is still there?" I would bet that was Pink that asked it.

I assume Greenie is the one who responds with, " _I_ wonder if Savannah White will kill us for losing the Grimm!" He sounds frustrated with Pink, but I could care less. If I could, I'd jump for joy. Teague must've succeeded!

Although it's kind of funny when I think about it. No one so much as questioned how a cat ended up inside the Grimorie. You'd think they would. It's not like anything lives here naturally that I'm aware of, and why would Teague suck a cat in here? I suppose it's just not something you think to wonder about.

There's silence again. When there were people hunting me, the silence was a bit less frightening than the sound of the centaurs. But now? Now I'm terrified by the silence. Prince Teague said he would save me. He said he'd lead them away from here until they thought he and I got away, and then come back and get me. But what if he doesn't come back for me after all? Or, even worse, what if he got caught and I just didn't realize it? I probably shouldn't worry about the latter. He's a prince and a Royal; he'd probably be fine and be able to fend for himself. But what if he really did leave me here?

I curl up in the corner, waiting in the pretty much suffocating silence. I could swear it got the tiniest bit lighter outside, but maybe I'm only imagining things, seeing as I've been staring out of the hole for a while now. All I know for sure is that I can sense the fact that I'm completely alone very well, and it stings.

As I continue to wait, I decide to try and shift back to my normal, Fae-human-Grimm self. I'm not sure if my change to being my cat is a normal thing that Grimms are able to do, but I'm thankful for it all the same. However, I want to be myself again. Cats are cool I guess, but my real form is a lot nicer. How did I change in the first place though? As I think about it, I suddenly remember. I closed my eyes and wished and willed myself to be anything but myself.

So, I repeat that process, except this time I wish and will myself to _not_ be anything but myself.

I open one eye carefully, and then the other. Did it work? I can't tell by the size of the hole, although I have a bad feeling that it didn't shrink. So, in order to find out, I slowly put my right hand out in front of me. Once again, it's not a hand though. It's still a chocolate brown cat paw. I turn it over to find a gold paw pad. I'm not sure why I turned it over. Maybe I thought that that would show me that I'd imagined the paw, and that I had actually changed back. I can't figure out what went wrong though. Why didn't it work?

I whimper a little as the fact that I don't know how to change back truly dawns on me. Was I not supposed to be able to become a cat? Am I stuck like this forever now? I don' want to be a cat forever! I stay curled in my corner, wishing that I could cry. Or, better yet, that Nix or Teague were here. They would know what to do.

I'm so upset that I don't even realize someone has crouched down by the hole till they say, "Princess? You there?"

'Oh my gosh, Teague, you're back! You didn't abandon me!' That's what I _want_ to cry in response. But I can't, because I'm stuck as a stupid cat. I struggle to leap out of the hole to the prince, letting out a mew of pain when I do. In fact, I land on my shaky legs only to have them collapse from underneath me. Teague looks startled by my sudden appearance, and I can't get myself any closer.

As if he can tell I'm struggling, he picks me up and moves me closer. "How'd you get here, kitty?" Oh gosh, he doesn't recognize me. If he doesn't recognize me, I'm doomed! I'm literally doing whatever the kitty equivalent of crying is at this point. "Hm, a chocolate brown cat...chocolate brown eyes with golden specks in them...golden paw pads...injured hind legs...a gold collar and a white collar...a black star marking on her right shoulder..." At the last one he snickers a little and can't keep up his act. I let out a mew of delight and relief. He does recognize me! Although I'm slightly annoyed that he would scare me like that. Can't he see how panicked I am right now? "Impressive. I didn't expect you to tap into any Grimm magic, at least not while you were in here. Let me guess though. You're stuck now?" I nod my head, and he waves it off as if it's nothing, although he does laugh a little at my problem. "No biggie. It was obviously your heightened sense of fear that triggered your being able to shift forms. So if I do this..."

Instead of saying what he's about to do, he raises his hand and moves it as if to smack me. I can feel myself begin to bristle, and instinctively I reach up to catch his wrist and stop him instead of remember I'm a cat and handle the issue the way a cat would. I blink, and find that my own hand keeps him from hurting me. I've changed back! Instantly I let out a relieved sob.

"Oh my gosh, Teague, I thought I'd be stuck as a cat forever!" I let my hand fall, moving to sob into his shoulder as relieved - originally fearful - tears leave my eyes.

Teague sounds rather uncomfortable as he tries to comfort me, and gently pushes me away. "I can see that. How are your legs?"

I sniffle a little as I calm down. I'd been needing to cry for awhile now. "They still hurt. I doubt that I can go very far on them, if I can actually go _anywhere_ on them."

He looks slightly frustrated by this, and an unwanted disappointment wells up inside of me. Is he that eager to leave me on my own in here again? I'd thought that maybe we'd bonded a little, even with everything he's done. I guess I was wrong. But why does this disappoint me so much? He's the Dark Prince, for goodness's sake! He cursed me, and because of that my life has been completely miserable. I should want him to be gone as soon as possible.

But yet, I don't.

Finally, he heaves a sigh. "Fine. I'll just carry then." Again?

He scoops me up bridal style again, much to my chagrin. "Why don't you just heal my legs and have me walk?" I resist tacking on 'It sure would be simpler than carrying me when you obviously don't want to' along with my question.

"It's too much Fae magic to do here undetected. We might get spotted, and that would ruin everything we just did." If I didn't know better, I'd say that that is a lame excuse he's concocted so that he can still carry me and be around me longer. But I do know better, sadly. I wish I didn't.

"Okay," Is my simple, one word response.

We walk in uncomfortable silence for a few moments before Teague says, "Can I call you Kitty Princess now?"

The mere thought horrifies me. "What? No!"

"What about Princess Kitty?" His eyes are completely innocent, not giving away his mischievous intent that I can sense.

"Changing the order of the words doesn't count." I respond, rolling my eyes, although my voice still expresses how horrified I am by the idea of that nickname.

"How about Scaredy Cat then?" The moment he suggest it, I gasp.

I'm even more horrified by that one. It's the worst one he's suggested yet! "No!"

He chuckles. Gosh, he's amused by this. He's teasing me, and my cheeks go red from embarrassment. This isn't funny to me. I was actually scared! Although I sourly consider the fact that it could be considered funny from his perspective, I don't agree that he has any right to tease me like this.

"How about Kitty? No strings attached?" Now his grin has become more of a teasing smirk.

I decide to change the subject, since saying no doesn't seem to work at all. "Shouldn't we be, I dunno, running, Teague?"

He rolls his eyes when I look up at him to see his response. "Cool your jests. I know what I'm doing, Kitty." He winks down at me when he calls me 'Kitty,' and I groan. Crap. He's given me another nickname. I should've just said no again.

Better than Scaredy Cat, I guess.

* * *

 **Eep, that was so much fun to write! I was so happy with that chapter! What did you guys think of the centaurs finding Mina, but not recognizing her? How about the fact that she became a cat? What did you guys think about how panicked Mina became because she couldn't change back, and what about Teague's reaction to it? Speaking of Teague, what do you think was up with him suddenly seeming irritated by Mina not being able to walk still? And what about his nickname suggestions? Was the chapter good? Bad?  
**

 **Please leave a review! I hope another, somewhat happier and funnier and cuter (hopefully) chapter was nice to have!**

 **~ Dagger**


	22. Chapter 21 - Bloody Hands

**Chapter Twenty One - Bloody Hands**

 **Hey hey hey! Look who's back again for the next update! I'm super excited to see what you guys think of this update. It's a little less happy and sweet than the past two chapters have been (that might be an understatement), but that's sort of an aspect of this story. It was more like we were taking a temporary sort-of-break from the curse and torture aspect of this story. However, it's gonna be okay. You know why? Because we're getting closer to the end of this story! We're not _quite_ there yet, however I'm totally pumped for the end. And yes, there will be a sequel, so if you know me then you will understand what that might entail. However, let's stop focusing on the end (and not encourage Dagger to just pound out these updates till the story is finished and _then_ update her other stories) of the story. xD We're not even there yet!**

 **Evx : Teehee, I know I don't! Why would I ever do that? :D I just kill hearts. And I'm glad it was a really cute chapter! I was aiming for that. I'm glad you appreciated kitty Mina and Teague's teasing, and that you love this story! I love it too. cx**

 **Mikkey234 : Ah, I'm glad it is! And I'm glad you like the pet name. cx I was so happy to implement another name for him to call Mina. And I hopefully will! Thank you!**

 **Life as a Siren : I'm glad it was cute! I'm also glad you loved the nicknames and morphing. That seems to be what everyone's verdict was on the chapter, and as that was what I was aiming for with last chapter, I'm pleased!**

 **Now, let's get on to the next chapter! I've been trying to make chapters longer recently, which I hope you guys are liking! And don't worry about the ominous title. c; It's not like it's important or anything.**

* * *

 _We walk in uncomfortable silence for a few moments before Teague says, "Can I call you Kitty Princess now?"_

 _The mere thought horrifies me. "What? No!"_

 _"What about Princess Kitty?" His eyes are completely innocent, not giving away his mischievous intent that I can sense._

 _"Changing the order of the words doesn't count." I respond, rolling my eyes, although my voice still expresses how horrified I am by the idea of that nickname._

 _"How about Scaredy Cat then?" The moment he suggest it, I gasp._

 _I'm even more horrified by that one. It's the worst one he's suggested yet! "No!"_

 _He chuckles. Gosh, he's amused by this. He's teasing me, and my cheeks go red from embarrassment. This isn't funny to me. I was actually scared! Although I sourly consider the fact that it could be considered funny from his perspective, I don't agree that he has any right to tease me like this._

 _"How about Kitty? No strings attached?" Now his grin has become more of a teasing smirk._

 _I decide to change the subject, since saying no doesn't seem to work at all. "Shouldn't we be, I dunno, running, Teague?"_

 _He rolls his eyes when I look up at him to see his response. "Cool your jests. I know what I'm doing, Kitty." He winks down at me when he calls me 'Kitty,' and I groan. Crap. He's given me another nickname. I should've just said no again._

 _Better than Scaredy Cat, I guess._

* * *

 _Mina's Perspective_

 _(I really do promise that we'll get a chapter that isn't from her perspective xD I have it planned)_

* * *

After getting past the spikes that had apparently been installed for security purposes around the centaur tree civilization - never thought I'd find myself saying _that_ \- things were going well for Teague and me. He's still a jerk, but he's a bit better than how my original picture of him had him painted. He even finally healed my legs, so I can walk again. We actually got rather far away from the centaurs, and while I say nothing to let him know, the necklaces have begun to tighten and heat up again during this little escape. Savannah's works faster than Templestiltskin's; it's much tighter and hurts to touch for too long, yet I think Temple is further away. Maybe Savannah just has better Fae magic, which is awful to consider. Of course, besides that, everything is fine.

Until it isn't.

Teague visibly stiffens beside me, and I stop maybe a step in front of him, turning around to find out what is wrong. "Uh, Teague, are you okay?"

"Dang it." He hisses under his breath, glancing around. "Dang it!"

I reach a hand out to try and get his attention. "Teague? What's up? Why are you freaking out?"

"Ugh, I've been here far too long." He's really upset. I don't know what's up with him.

"W-What do you mean?" I still don't get any response. "Teague, what are you talking about? Why won't you answer me?"

It's like he's forgotten all about me being here. "Crap! Have I messed everything up?"

"Teague!" I practically shout his name. "Tell me what the heck is up!"

That seems to finally snap him out of it. He turns to look at me, and in that moment I am absolutely, positively terrified. He looks like a murder. he looks merciless. He looks exactly like the Dark Prince I was told about that I should've feared all along. I cower, stepping back. What do I do? Do I run away? Do I try and hide? Is he just trying to scare me? All these things bounce around in my head, and while I try and justify his reason for doing this somehow without having him actually be mad at me be the answer, I can't. His blue eyes are ice cold and filled with fury. Oh gosh, is he going to kill me?

"You." He hisses the words. "This is _your_ doing."

I'm panicking as my mind scrambles to comprehend this. That's when it hits me. My dream. My dream that I've been relying on - or that I _should_ have been relying on more since everything it's said has come true one way or another for the most part - to tell me what's going to happen next in here. There was a part with Teague-Jared, wasn't there? I force myself to drag it back. What happened in it again?

 _I force myself to stand up, but I'm quickly shoved back by someone. A boy, by the looks of it._

 _"Jared?" I don't scream this time. Instead, I ask it, almost nervous after everything I've been through. Did he come when I called for once?_

 _The boy has black hair that I can barely make out in the light. He's dressed in a mixture of gray and black; he has a black t-shirt, gray pants, and black shoes. But I can't see his eyes, which confuses me. It's got to be Jared, hasn't it?_

 _"I'm here." His voices echoes in the dark room I'm in._

 _"Oh, Jared, thank goodness!" I whisper in relief, but then I peer at him closer as light appears in his hands.  
_

 _His eyes are certainly gray. But his hands are covered in flames, which are the source of the light, and I suddenly feel that Jared is not a safe person to rely on anymore. He steps closer, and when he does, I see his eyes shift in color. They become icy blue, causing me to try and scramble backwards. However, I'm frozen in my spot._

 _"Please go away." I whisper._

 _He just smirks in response. "I'm not going anywhere,_ Princess _."_

 _And then he lights me on fire. I let out a horrendous scream which is wordless at first and filled with pain. But, it slowly morphs into me screaming at him. "Prince Teague! Prince Teague, please! Stop!" I find that I can move, but I only manage to writhe in pain. "Prince Teague!"_

Oh gosh, am I already at this part of my dream? I never screamed Jared's name in order to try and get help, but maybe that was what I was doing unconsciously? He did show up and appear to be saving me, after all. And he did drop me in a hole. That could be symbolic of him shoving me. I stumble backwards, afraid. Is he going to try and burn me alive? Can I somehow avoid it, like I avoided Templestiltskin turning me to gold?

"No response?" He steps forward, and I take another step back.

When I don't respond again, he says, "Let me ask you another question. Are you _afraid_ of me, Princess?"

I still don't respond. That's safer. Much safer than responding and stirring the obviously dangerous pot even more. I don't understand what's going on with him. We were fine like what, five minutes ago? Now it seems like my dream is coming true. Are his hands going to light on fire? Is he going to try and burn me alive? I have a feeling that if that's the case, this time he won't wake me up and reveal that everything that's occurred so far has been an awful nightmare.

He scoffs. "Your silence is all the answer I need." Isn't that what people always say? "Is that why you used your Lure on me?"

This honestly catches me off guard. "W-What?" What on earth is he talking about?

"Did you really think I was that stupid that I wouldn't realize you were using it on me?" He accuses, pointing a finger at me. I flinch in response. "I should've known! It's the only explanation for why I've been here so long with you. I should've left you here to fend yourself a while ago!"

I want to start crying. "Why are you saying this? I'm not doing anything to you?"

"You're a siren! Of course you're using your stupid Lure on me. I can't believe I didn't realize it sooner. After all, you did a Siren Call back at the centaur civilization, and then you managed to morph. You're able to use your magic, and that means you've been bewitching me this whole time!" He jabs his pointed finger at me, and I nearly lose it and break down like I so desperately want to.

The word 'Siren Call' bounces around in my head. I know about Grimm magic. I also know that as a siren, I have some Fae magic, and that technically I should have at least some skill that only sirens are supposed to have. I thought that would be my gills and tail that I attempted to use to escape Charybdis. But as 'Call' and then 'Lure' bounce around in my head, something triggers in my head, and I realize I knew about both of things. I was just made to be forget by someone, and I have a feeling I know who.

"Why would I want to use my lure that you _made me forget_ on a jerk like you?" I hurl the words at him as my sadness fades and is replaced by anger. "What purpose would that serve? Why would I want you to stick around?"

"You probably thought that if I was sticking around, you would be safe from the horrors of this book prison." He's wrong. I know he is, but he doesn't. It's such a lame reason for me to use my Lure though. I mean seriously, why would I do that? Has it saved me from any horrors so far? Not that I know of.

"You certainly didn't save me from Scylla, now did you?" I grab the first stinging thing I can think of - I'm not even sure it _will_ sting - and hurl it at him.

He snarls in response. "That was your own idiotic fault!"

"You know what?" I'm practically screaming, and my hands have balled up into fists. "I don't need you! I don't know why I ever thought we were actually getting along. The mere idea of us being friends is absolutely pathetic! You're an idiotic, pigheaded, jerk for a prince who is fake and too stupid to see what's going on around him. I hope I never see your face again. In fact, I hope I stay in this book and never find the way out so I don't have to deal with seeing you once I'm out. Or, better yet, I hope I die in here so that I'll never have to see you again!" I don't really hope I die. I can't die, because then my dad's death will be on me. But I'm just so infuriated by this dumb prince! "I'm sick of you, this book, and this stupid curse. I wish I wasn't a Grimm. I wish I'd never come into existence! Then my dad would be alive, my mom would have her 'perfect little family,' and my brother would actually be the perfect son because he wouldn't be mute." I keep raving, and I think I might've actually stopped his anger, because he stares at me as I say the words. "So leave already, like you want to. I'm _done_."

On that note, I stalk away. I don't even run, like I want to. Hot, angry tears run down my cheeks. How dare he accuse me like that? How dare he act like that? He _chose_ to stay around. He actually acted like he liked me! Then he had to go and be a huge jerk, and act as if he never would've done any of that if I hadn't made him.

He really is a Dark Prince.

I don't know how far I walk for, but I do know that the prince hasn't followed me. I'm alone in these woods. That hits me like a sack of bricks. While I was with Teague, I wasn't afraid. I wasn't really afraid when I was with Nix either. When I was with someone I trusted - or at least thought I could trust - I felt safe. Now? I don't feel safe at all. No, it's worse than that. I just can't put a finger on what exactly is wrong and making this worse than just me not feeling safe, but I know something is making me feel this way. But what?

"Hey you!" I look up, confused. Who said that? "Ya, you over there! You look lost. Do you need help?"

I blink, turning around. I don't _see_ anyone though. "Um, ya, I guess you could say I'm lost."

The voice - definitely feminine, although it's more of an alto than a soprano if I'm guessing and remembering the terms correctly - giggles a little. "Trust me, you are. Anyone a hundred miles away could see that." Geez, does she have to be so blunt about it? She seems to find it entertaining. "If you come this way, I can offer you some help though. Just follow my voice!"

"Uh, okay."The rational part of my voice screams a little at me as I walk in the direction of the voice. I have a bad feeling about this. But what other choice do I have? It's not like there's much else I can do. My dream didn't say anything else after the Teague encounter.

"So where exactly are you trying to go? I've been here for a long time, so I know my way around. I'm sure I can direct you wherever you need to go." She sounds very cheerful.

A little too cheerful, in my opinion. "Um, I'm trying to find the way out. Could you maybe let me see you?"

"A way out? That's kind of silly. There is no way out." She gives no response to my request though.

When she says 'there is no way out,' I break a little inside. Have I been given an impossible quest? Has Teague sent every single firstborn, Grimm girl in here before me on this same quest that can't ever wield any results? Is that why no one has survived this curse yet?

I reach a small drop downwards, and I stand there for a moment rather nervously. What do I do now? I don't think I can jump across, and if I dropped down, I won't be able to pull myself back up. Is there a bridge somewhere?

"Just drop on down and keep following my voice." The girl says again.

I bite my lip, and then say, "Uh, okay. If you say so."

I drop down, landing somewhat awkwardly. I let out a small grunt of pain, reaching down to rub my right ankle. Geez, I only had my legs healed a little while ago. Are they really going to be damaged again so soon? This is so stupid. If this curse is impossible to beat, maybe I should just give up now. It's not like I'm even managing to survive that well as it is. The way it's been going, I seem to be getting injured left and right. If that's the way it's going to be the entire rest of the time I'm here, maybe it's better to get it over with now.

I shake those thoughts away, and as I approach a left turn in this trench-like thing, I see something written on the stone wall to my right. Something that seems to have been written in something red. I choose to believe that it's paint. The words on the wall are slightly faded, but I can still read them. 'The only thing this place contains is death!' It's a real great message to see while you're traveling along.

I decide to ignore it, and keep going. "Um, where are you?"

"You're getting closer!" Her voice is louder now.

Then I make another turn and end up in a circular clearing, and that's when I meet the girl who's been shouting me directions. Over to the left is another turn to go who knows where, but at this moment I don't care about that, although I suppose I should in case I need to plot an escape. No, I'm more focused on this girl. She's a smaller girl, that's for sure. Her hair is a golden blonde, and her hazel eyes are filled with a sort of messed up looking happiness. The smile on her face compliments the way her eyes appear. She looks deranged. Not to mention her dress, which is red, has darker crimson spots on it. That doesn't bode well at all. She waves, and at least the hand she waves is red. I force myself not to flinch at it. I'm probably overreacting. It's probably nothing. I shouldn't judge this girl. I shouldn't just assume the darker spots and the stuff on her hands is blood. It's all fine. I'm fine.

It probably doesn't help that there's a dead body dangling right beside her from a noose.

The girl hanging there must've only died recently, because I can still see how beautiful she was. She probably was even prettier when she was alive. I think she's an elf, based off her pointed ears, and she has slightly curly red hair. Not only was she hanged - from what the rope hangs from, I don't know, but I'm guessing an overhanging root or something - but it appears as if she was stabbed as well. There's still a dagger sticking out of her. The stabbing _might_ explain those dark spots, and the red stuff on her hand. I don't think I like that explanation very much though.

The girl chuckles, following my gaze to the body beside her. "Ah, yes, her. Ferah. She and I were buddies for a long time. We were brought in here pretty close together too, although I don't think the prince knows that. I wanted to find her for a long time. I finally did just a little bit ago. As everyone always says, good things come to those who wait. That means you have to have patience, and as you might've guessed, I'm a very patient person."

I'm startled by how insanely happy this girl is after _murdering_ someone. It sickens me. "Um..."

"Oh yes, I should probably introduce myself." She extends a hand, and I nervously step closer. In this situation, it's probably better to comply. I don't want to make this crazy, psycho, murderous girl unhappy. "I'm Princess Annalora Goldmine of the gnomes." She's a gnome? She looks nothing like I thought a gnome would look like. How is she a gnome? "Well, aren't you going to shake my hand?"

There's a bit of a threatening edge to her voice. I quickly do. "Oh, uh, ya. I'm sorry."

As I pull my hand away, some of it is hot and sticky. Ew. Ew ew ew. That is blood. That is most definitely blood. How disgusting is that? How did she get it all over her? Is this the first person she killed? I have a feeling this 'Ferah' is not.

"I was friends with one of your great great ancestors, Mina." The moment she says my name, I freeze.

"How do you know who I am?" I ask suspiciously, taking a small step back. This girl is seeming crazier and crazier the more and more I talk to her. Why am I still talking to her?

"Everyone knows who the current Grimm girl is." Annalora giggles again. I don't like it. "And I guess we weren't exactly friends, Willa and I." Willa? Jared...Er, Teague told me about her. She was the one who got the curse started, working with the Godmothers and getting exposed after she'd given up the idea of assassinating Teague. She saved his life and got herself killed in the process. "We were more like rivals. I tried to kill her. She got away. Of course, it doesn't matter. She died in the end." How sick is this girl? Not only that, how old is she? "However, I think maybe I can get closer to fixing the fact that I didn't get to murder her now."

I cringe, taking a few more steps back. "I really ought to go..."

"Go where?" Once again, she's giggling, and it's really starting to get on my nerves. "Don't tell me you're leaving so soon?"

"Bye!" I spin around, starting to rush for the way I came.

That's when a shrill whistle hits my ears. I wince, stopping cold in my tracks. I don't know why though. I didn't tell myself to stop. What the heck is going on? I don't even know anymore. Slowly, I turn around, still not in control.

Annalora doesn't look quite so cheerful anymore. If anything, she looks kind of smug as she strolls up to me. "Works like a charm every time." In her hands, I see a whistle that looks like it's made of bone. Oh gosh, how did she make that? Mockingly, she says, "Hold still, alright, sweetie? Not that you have much of a choice."

Chuckling to herself, she circles me and looks me over. "Hm, yes, I see the similarities. You'd have thought one of the other girls would've looked as close to her in resemblance as you do. Then again, maybe some did. They probably died before they got to me though, or perhaps I've forgotten some of the ones I murdered myself."

I wish I could tell her that's sick as she chuckles to herself. She continues to circle me, pausing every now and then to examine me. She stops to examine my face first, using her hand to tilt my chin up and pull at my cheeks. She then loops around to fiddle with my hair, feeling it and seeing just how long it is. At one point she checks out the necklaces around my necks, seeming intrigued by them, although she quickly moves on. She also squeeze my arms to see how much muscle there is - I think - and just scans me over a few times as well. What exactly she's checking in particular, I don't know. All I know is that I'm creeped out, and I want to get away from this girl. Yet, no matter how hard I try, I can't. I can't move my lips, I can't move my arms, I can't even blink. The only thing I can do is breathe. Once she's finished circling me like some predator checking out a juicy piece of meat, she puts two fingers against my wrist in order to check my pulse.

She nods, seeming pleased. "It's racing, I can see." Then, she puts the whistle up to her lips and blows again. I can feel my jaw slacken, and find that I can move that now. I can't move anything else though. "I can see that you've met Templestiltskin. Who's the other necklace from?" When I don't respond, she lifts the whistle up in a slightly threatening manner. "I have a lot of power over you right now, Gimp. I suggest you do this of your own free will."

Gimp. Where have I heard someone call me that before? Oh, that's right. Ever did, and she was trying to kill me. Does Annalora work for the Godmothers too? Or is it just a coincidence? I know she would've at least known Ever if she knew Willa.

"Savannah White." I finally answer.

Annalora nods her head. "Ah, someone specifically added to this cursed book because they'll torture you specifically. I should've known."

She begins to circle me again, and seeing as I'm just tired of it at this point, I decide to ask, "Why don't you do it already?"

She pauses. "Do what?"

"Kill me. You're obviously going to." I mean, honestly, the only way she could've been clearer with her intentions is if she said bluntly 'I am going to kill you.' "So why don't you just go on ahead with it?"

The gnome girl giggles, and I cringe inwardly. I probably would've outwardly too, had I been able to. "Oh no. Perhaps the others have planned to just do it pretty quickly, but I like to do things a little differently. You see, I don't just want to simply kill you. No, that's not fun enough and it's too easy. I want to _break_ you till you are mentally broken and begging me to kill you. Then, and only then, will I arrange for your death. You see, I have many ways that I like to psychologically and emotionally break you Grimms. Let's figure out which one to do first, shall we?

As she looks at me and grins with that deranged smile at her, I sudden realize that I've quite possibly made the worst decision I've made this entire time I've been in here. I never should've followed her. I should've known. I missed something so important. That interaction with Teague wasn't the one at the end of my dream, and the reason I know that is because there was another part to it _with this messed up girl_.

 _"Hello up there!" I look down to find a small looking girl standing there. I can't make out the details though, and so I squat down to try and look better. Another, taller girl stands beside her, but she doesn't speak. Instead, the first girl calls up again, "Do you need help?"_

 _"I-I'm not sure!" I call back._

 _After everything that's happened so far, I'm hesitant to approach anyone._

 _"Jump down!" The same girl calls. "I've done it myself! I promise, you'll be fine!"_

 _So, far some reason unknown to me, I decide to believe her. I come flying downwards at a breathtaking speed, but when I land my legs crumble beneath me. The pain that crackles through them makes me aware that it's possible that I broke them. Not good._

 _Forcing myself to stand up, I turn around and scream. Again. The second girl is dangling from a_ noose _in front of me, very much dead. Her pointed ears suggest that she's an elf, but I can't make out anymore details. Except for the dagger in her hands, which promptly disappears._

 _"Was that fun?" I turn around to find the first girl in front of me, and she's speaking. Up close, she doesn't look quite as pleasant. She's small, and I think she might be a dwarf. Or a gnome. "This will be just as fun."_

 _She raise the dagger I saw just moments ago, and I scream. "Jared!"_

Oh gosh, I've made a horrible error. I just want out. I just want to make it out of here alive. I just want to be free of this stupid curse. I just want _Teague_. I thought, after our argument, I would never think that again. As it turns out, I was wrong, but it seems I've been wrong about a lot of things recently.

"Are you ready to have fun?" From the look on her face and the feeling I have in my stomach, I think not.

* * *

 **I told you guys that our happy moments with Teague and Mina were over. o.o As I was writing this chapter, I decided I wanted to step up this stuff with Annalora, so this story is going to be slightly longer - not too much longer, maybe a chapter or two - more, as I would like to expand more upon one of the villains Mina faces instead of having them get handled super easily. So, we will be getting to see more of whats going on with Annalora here and her very messed up personality. That was an interesting chapter to write. It took me longer than I expected, that's for sure, but to be fair I kept getting distracted. What did you guys think overall? Was it good? Bad? What did you guys think of the argument with Mina and Teague? What's up with that? Do you think Mina was actually using her lure, or is Teague falsely accusing her? What do you think of Mina's forgetting about that part of her dream? Did you remember the part with Annalora and Ferah, and see it coming as Mina followed the voice? Or did you forget as well? And what about actually meeting Annalora? Did Ferah being dead freak you guys out? What do you guys think Annalora intends to do in order to "break" Mina? Do you think she'll be saved? Do you think she'll escape? And what did you guys think of me implementing the bone whistle, but differently than in the books? Please let me know the answer to any of these questions (if you want to) in a review, or at least let me know your reactions!  
**

 **That was actually a rather exhausting chapter, but I enjoyed writing it. It was a bit more dark, and maybe that was unexpected after the kind of happy and cutesy chapters we'd had, but I figured we might as well jump back in. Warning that in one of the upcoming chapters, they will be around this level of dark or a bit less so. I'm just warning you guys, as this is supposed to be a bit of a darker story. Hopefully this is okay with you guys. Seeing as the dreams are coming in to play still, I would suggest maybe going back and looking at the dreams (more like parts of dreams) Mina has had that haven't shown up yet, as they will give hints to what's coming. I promise the end of the story won't be as dark as this.**

 **As I said, please let me know what you thought in a review! If it was too dark, please let me know and I will attempt to tone it down (as I'm not aiming for it to be too dark). I'll see you at my next update!**

 **~ Dagger**


	23. Chapter 22 - Wrong Way

**Chapter Twenty Two - Wrong Way**

 **Hey guys! Guess who's updating this story instead of updating her other stories like she probably should? That's right, me! :D I'm super excited to keep going with this story. We're getting closer and closer to the end! Yay!**

 **Mikkey234 : I've never seen Saw before, but I know it's a horror movie, so I'm assuming the puppet isn't good. cx That's really interesting! And I'm glad you like the plot twist. As for if Teague will have a change of heart or if Mina will get the power to save her? Well, we'll just have to find out. I'm glad you liked my usage of the bone whistle! I hope you like the shorter wait for this chapter. c:**

 **Guest 1 : Trust me, we'll find out what on the plane is going on with Teague soon. And that is true, Mina could die from Annalora. I'm glad you do feel slightly bad for Ferah. I hate her too, but I don't believe she deserved quite as bad of a fate as she got, although I suppose she could've gotten a worse fate. That is true though, no one who tries to kill Teague should get away with it. As for Jared and Teague? Hm, I guess we'll just have to see how the story finishes out. Hopefully by the end of this story the answer should be clear to that.**

 **Evx : No, she can't get a break. cx I feel like the Grimm curse in the actual series gave her more of a break than this one was. And that's okay that you don't really remember her dream. It makes things more surprising in the story. I'm glad there are people supporting Mina. Whether or not she actually was using the Lure - even if it was unintentional - will have to be revealed later. I agree, Mina deserves to get out of this one with less harm. Whether or not that actually occurs? Well, we'll just have to see. The type of experience she has with this gnome will be revealed this chapter as well. We'll just have to see if Annalora dies, Mina dies, they both die, or something else completely different.**

 **fanfic authoress : Oh good, I'm glad it was a good one, and that you love this fanfiction! I'm glad you liked last chapter as well. As for what's going on with Teague and whether or not he's falsely accusing her, we'll just have to see. That's good that you were thinking it through though! That's good for me that you didn't remember it, as it makes it all the more shocking. I'm glad you're excited to see what happens next! As for Mina being okay? I guess that depends on your definition of okay... cx**

 **Life as a Siren : Haha, I'm glad it's so good! Hopefully the wait wasn't too agonizing.**

 **But enough of my rambling (which hopefully is slightly entertaining). How about we get on with this crazy story? After all, we still need to find out what exactly Annalora intends to make Mina do, and how Mina intends to get away.**

* * *

 _As she looks at me and grins with that deranged smile at her, I sudden realize that I've quite possibly made the worst decision I've made this entire time I've been in here. I never should've followed her. I should've known. I missed something so important. That interaction with Teague wasn't the one at the end of my dream, and the reason I know that is because there was another part to it_ with this messed up girl.

"Hello up there!" I look down to find a small looking girl standing there. I can't make out the details though, and so I squat down to try and look better. Another, taller girl stands beside her, but she doesn't speak. Instead, the first girl calls up again, "Do you need help?"

"I-I'm not sure!" I call back.

After everything that's happened so far, I'm hesitant to approach anyone.

"Jump down!" The same girl calls. "I've done it myself! I promise, you'll be fine!"

So, far some reason unknown to me, I decide to believe her. I come flying downwards at a breathtaking speed, but when I land my legs crumble beneath me. The pain that crackles through them makes me aware that it's possible that I broke them. Not good.

Forcing myself to stand up, I turn around and scream. Again. The second girl is dangling from a noose in front of me, very much dead. Her pointed ears suggest that she's an elf, but I can't make out anymore details. Except for the dagger in her hands, which promptly disappears.

"Was that fun?" I turn around to find the first girl in front of me, and she's speaking. Up close, she doesn't look quite as pleasant. She's small, and I think she might be a dwarf. Or a gnome. "This will be just as fun."

She raise the dagger I saw just moments ago, and I scream. "Jared!"

 _Oh gosh, I've made a horrible error. I just want out. I just want to make it out of here alive. I just want to be free of this stupid curse. I just want Teague. I thought, after our argument, I would never think that again. As it turns out, I was wrong, but it seems I've been wrong about a lot of things recently._

 _"Are you ready to have fun?" From the look on her face and the feeling I have in my stomach, I think not._

* * *

 _Mina's Point of View_

* * *

I trudge along behind Annalora, trying to make myself go as slow as I possibly can. I can't tell if it's even making a difference, as I don't know if I can fight the bone whistle at all. However, it makes me feel slightly better that I am at least _trying_ to put up a fight. As I go, Templestiltskin's necklace seems to get looser and cooler around my neck at a rather quick speed, while Savannah's necklace seems to keep getting tighter and hotter. I guess he's nearby, which is probably really bad for me. I don't want to have to deal with him _and_ this maniac of a gnome. There's the slight chance that they don't get along - although based on Annalora's previous comments I doubt that is the case - and running into him would be a good idea thing. I mean, doesn't he want me to be around so he can get out of here?

Then again, Annalora acted as if she was familiar with Templestiltskin, which raises a good question. How has Temple trapped or necklaced girls before - as she implied - if he wasn't inside the Grimorie? Has he been able to get out before? I'm so confused.

Of course, that's not really my concern though. My concern should be getting away from this monster. The question is, how? How can I get away whenever I literally can't do anything unless she tells me too? My eyes lock on the bone whistle in her left hand, the object that is the reason I'm suffering. I need to have the whistle be out of play. But how? In her right hand is the dagger she obviously used to stab Ferah. I have a bad feeling about why she's brought it with her.

All planning fades away when she leads me into a clearing, and I gasp at the sight I lay eyes on. Chained to the stone walls are two people I know and don't like. The reason my one necklace has been loosening, Templestitskin, and Savannah White's sidekick who is currently muffled, Pri. I look over at Annalora, eyes wide and questioning as she has me stop. What are they doing here? And _how_ is Pri here?

"It cost me a bit," What was this gnome even charged in this messed up place? Wait. I don't think I want to know, "to get the girl in the book. But I did it, yes, I did it. I found out you were the next Grimm a while ago, and I waited to see just who I could use in case you got here. When you stopped going to school, I had her brought in. And now you are here! So now I can use her along with Temple here."

"Use them to do what?" I ask, lost as to why she would have them - specifically these two - here. "Why are they here?"

Annalora giggles. "You still haven't figured that out?"

"No, of course I haven't, you psychopath!" I'm starting to get annoyed. Why does this all seem like just a big game to her, where the only rule seems to be torment and then kill others? What is wrong with her? Can she just get going and stop going around in circles already? I can't formulate a plan to escape if I don't know her plane. "Just tell me! I don't want to be involved in some sick guessing game."

The gnome shakes her head. "Tsk tsk tsk. So impatient to get on with this." She then proceeds to point at Pri with the dagger. "You see, I want you to murder her."

My eyes widen, and Pri looks panicked as she begins to thrash about in order to try and get away. "What? You want me to do what?"

Annalora giggles yet again. "It's not that hard, Mina. I want you to murder that girl."

"No!" I shake my head.

She tilts her head, and suddenly a rather angry and threatening look enters her eyes. "Excuse me?"

"I said no." I have a feeling I'll regret that soon, but I can't do it. I can't murder Pri. Besides, at the moment it's not like opposing what the gnome tells me does anything to me that I wouldn't already have to deal with.

"Don't you remember everything that's happened to you at school? Don't you remember that Savannah and Pri were always doing something or anther to you?" Is she actually trying to convince me of why I should murder Pri? And how does she know what's happened to me? "She had everything you wanted. Money that was spent on her. Popularity, power, and status in school. A father that is alive. A mother that loves her. No siblings to be compared to. And, with all these things, she chose to terrorize _you_ , who had none of that. Doesn't that upset you at all?"

"B-" I begin, determined to argue with her.

Annalora cuts me off. "Now you can make her pay for everything she's done."

"I don't want to make her pay!" I'm appalled, to say the least.

Annalora groans. "Are you really going to try and say that you never once wanted her to suffer for how she treated you?"

I hesitate before saying, "No, but I never wanted her to suffer like this."

"Why are you being so insufferably kind and forgiving after all you've seen and been through?" She literally hisses the words. Oh gosh, she's even more terrifying. I eye the dagger in her hand, frightened as she and it shake from her anger. "Just get on with it and kill her!"

I shake my head, even though I'm terrified to do so. What if she kills me now, before I have had a chance to formulate a way to stop that from occurring and get away without me having to kill anyone? "N-No."

Annalora hisses again under her breathe. "Foolish girl. Don't you get it? You don't have a choice either way. I'm in control of what you do. I wanted you to do it of your own free will. But I guess I'll just have to prove to you that there's no point in this pointless nobility." It's rather stupid to say there's no point in a pointless thing. Not that I can really focus on that. The fact is, Annalora is about to do something, and I doubt that it's any good.

She blows the bone whistle, and while I try to do everything in my power in order to stop myself as I walk over to where Pri is chained up, I can't. I crouch, down in front of here, and I can hear her whimpering. My hands move on heir own accord, pulling her gag down. It's only then that I realize she's crying.

"Oh gosh, Mina, I'm sorry." She's a crying mess, and hiccups the way most people do when crying. "Please forgive me."

It's pitiful, what she's been reduced to. As much as I disliked Pri, I don't like seeing her like this even more. I hate Annalora for it. "I do." I'm not quite sure how truthful that statement is yet. But I'll make it true.

She actually looks surprised. "Y-You do?" When I don't, she says, "Then _please_ , don't kill me!"

"I can't. I'm not in control of my own actions." I already feel guilty, and Annalora hasn't even made me do it yet. "she does. Please, forgive _me_."

Before she has a chance to respond - forcing me to pretend she did and answered yes to try and ease my conscious a bit - Annalora blows the stupid whistle again. My hands move so quickly; even if I could stop what's happening, I don't think I would be quick enough to stop myself from causing some harm. They grab her neck, slipping into a position I've never learned and squeezing the life out of her. She chokes and gags before losing consciousness as her face changes color and the life drains out of her. The whole process only takes a few minutes, to my horrified surprise. It's as if my hands are glued there, like they felt with Ever. Finally, I can _feel_ the life go out of her, and I'm appalled as guilt washes over me. I've killed two people now! Basically three, seeing as the only reason Nix is dead is because he was friends with me and got sucked in here. Why is this happening?

"Beautiful." Annalora murmurs, appearing to do so more to herself than anyone else. "It would've been better had you killed her by your own free will though. Oh well. Perhaps you will play better this next round!"

She grins, the scary look finally gone from her eyes, and I bite back tears. "This next round?"

"Of course. Why else would Templestiltskin be here?" She says it in a tone that suggest I'm stupid before chuckling again. I hate her more than I've ever hated anyone, and that's saying something after the whole Savannah situation.

I glare at her. "Why are you even doing this?"

"I told you that already. I want to break you before I kill you." She's looking annoyed again. "Now go ahead and do it."

"Why do you want me to kill him?" I ask. I thought they got along, or at least tolerated each other. It makes no sense for her to want me to murder him.

"I think the real question is, why shouldn't you want to kill him? I personally have nothing against the Godmother trader." She shrugs. "However, you have every reason to want him dead, and to want to kill him yourself."

"Like what?" Finally, the golden Templestiltskin speaks, actually seeming interested to see what reasons Annalora will give for why I should kill him. Surely he knows them already though? Or is he that stupid?

"Let me think." Annalora says mockingly, tilting her heads and shutting her eyes as if thinking really hard before opening her eyes and continuing. "You held her against her will in a dark alley, putting her in a situation where she had to be saved. You turned some of her hair told gold, and threatened and probably intended to turn more of her to gold if not all of her. You sent Fae after her inside here-"

"-and then saved her life." His point is true, but it doesn't make up for what else he's done.

"But that was only so that you could scare her, tell her she had to make a deal with you that we all know you wouldn't keep the end of if it occurred, and put a painful necklace." She counters, looking rather smug. "As I said, why wouldn't she want to kill you?"

"I don't want to kill him." I say, before their bickering continues, although I suppose I should've let it as it benefited me.

"Mina, stop trying to be noble!" She pretty much shouts the words at me as she turns her attention back to me. I try not to look at her extremely angry face, but - of course - that just leads me to look at Pri, which makes me feel sick. "You didn't want to kill Pri, yet you ended up having to kill her anyways. What makes you think it'll be any different this time? Because trust me, it won't, so just do it. Doesn't he deserve it?"

He does kind of deserve it. He's a murderer. But I can't kill him myself, because I have no right. Besides, I can't deal with the guilt of anymore deaths by my hands. "I have no right to judge someone like that."

Annalora scoffs. "You seriously are trying to tell me that you never once wanted him dead? Because I'm quite sure that's not true."

"Wanting him dead and wanting to kill him are two completely different things." I respond. This is literally the exact same conversation we had about me murdering Pri, just with a few things changed. Neither of us is making any progress.

Temple grins. "Exactly, love. Glad to see you and I are on the same page."

"Hmph. I didn't say that you didn't deserve to die." I huff in response.

"Exactly." Annalora grins.

I groan. "Oh my gosh, I'm not saying that I'm going to kill him though!"

The gnome holds up her whistle again. "I'll _make_ you then."

I quickly realize I have to act now. "Wait!" I hold my hand out in order to fully express that I want to stop her for a reason. "I can't touch Templestiltskin."

"What?" She frowns at me, and Templestiltskin tilts his head for a moment at me before closing his eyes.

Now I have to go with this, but I'm thinking I might actually have discovered a good way to go along with this. "I can't kill Templestiltskin, not just because of my morals, but because if I touch him, I'll turn to gold."

She frowns harder, obviously not believing me. "That's never happened with any of the Grimm girls before." Dang it. I didn't think about that possibility, although to be fair I didn't have enough time to think that through.

"It hasn't?" I tilt my head. "Did they ever actually touch him?"

She hesitates, and I take an inward sigh of relief. Thank goodness. "Well..." She glances at Templestiltskin. "Is what she's saying true?"

He doesn't respond for a few moments, but when it looks like Annalora is about to freak out on him, he finally does. He kinds of bob his head, making a noise that sounds like a "Yeah" but can't necessarily be confirmed as one. That seems like enough for Annalora though. She glances down at the bone whistle in her hands, and then at me.

"So you can't kill him." She states it instead of asking it this time.

"If you gave me the dagger-" I begin, an idea sparking in my head.

She stops it. "No. You're not getting a hold of this." She pulls the bone whistle away from her hands, and pulls the dagger up instead. "I'll just kill him myself."

I hold my hand out to stop her, although I don't know why. It's not like Templestiltskin doesn't deserve to die. But after seeing the results of Ferah's death and piecing together what happened, I don't want anyone to have to die because of Annalora. That's a fate no one should receive. But I'm too late. The dagger spins out of her hand, and the gold murderer isn't given any way to try and dodge it. It plunges into his chest, and Annalora steps closer. It only takes me a moment to realize that he's not dead yet, and that Annalora tends to make the process quicker. I shut my eyes, and listen to Temple scream as she obviously stabs him a few more times at least. Finally, it ceases, and I open one eye, careful not to look in his direction. That's also when a weight on my neck - not a very heavy one - drops. Templestiltskin's golden necklace has broken open and fallen off now that he's dead. Apparently there's another way to get it off besides him removing it after all.

I realize that Annalora is looking in my direction again, having stepped a bit closer, and she doesn't look like the crazy, happy killer she was a little while ago. She, if anything, seems disappointed and a bit uninterested. Perhaps saying it's a disappointed boredom is a better way to explain it.

She shakes her head at me. "You poor, poor girl. Never in all my times messing with the Grimm girls, as one failed to give me the satisfaction of breaking and doing as I ask." So I'm the first? That's surprising, although I have a feeling that that's not a good thing in this particular instance. "Never once have they refused to kill someone, or hurt someone, or anything like that. It's always been quite fun. Yet you deny me that satisfaction. You refuse to comply, even though the end result would be the same for that person anyway. The only difference is that one way you're forced, and the other you chose to." I doubt she realizes how big of a difference that truly is. "And, to say the least, I'm disappointed. I thought I'd get quite a good reaction from a Grimm that should already be close to breaking. Yet I have not, and so I've grown bored of this attempt. Do you know what happens when I grow bored of something?"

"No." Although I might, when I think about it.

"I destroy it." Oh crap. I take a step away from the crazed gnome as she looks at me. "You see, I intended to kill you all along, after I broke you. It's not like I hid that detail from you. Except, with how much of a challenge you are proving to be, you have lost my interest, and so I am just going to kill you."

She comes at me, and in that moment I see my chance. She's not using the bone whistle. If anything, she's lost her cool completely and is no longer being the calculating murderer I expected. Now she has the dagger in her hand once again, obviously having removed it from Templestiltskin, and as she runs at me raises it, no doubt in order to murder me. I grab her wrist as she comes, and it's a battle of strength that I can see from the start she obviously is going to win. So, I turn the tables, and try and use my Lure.

 _Stop attacking me._ I have to try something, or she'll definitely kill me, although I don't know if it's going to work.

She stops, pulling back and staring at me in horror. The corners of my lips pull up into the tiniest bit of a smile. She stopped! It worked.

 _Get down on your knees._ I continue with the orders, watching as she complies. _Drop the dagger. Crush the bone whistle._

At the last one, she actually looks pained to do it. Yet, even though I can sense her struggling, she can't break my control. Her hand clenches around the whistle, and I hear the satisfying crack of it breaking as I pick up the dagger I forced her to drop.

Then, something completely foreign comes over me, and somewhere in my head a voice echoes that I don't recognize, saying, _Just do it._

And then I'm horrified as I find myself stabbing Annalora in the stomach on the ground. My control over her breaks as I pull it out in horror, and then i realize that there's blood spilling out. Her breathes come out shocked and choppy, yet there's an almost satisfied grin on her face.

"That's all I wanted all along." She whispers, but I panic, shaking my head.

"N-No, I wasn't trying to kill you. I didn't mean to kill you!" I say, staring in shock at her and the fact that she's not freaked out at all.

She shakes her head at me. "But in the end you did."

"No!" I shake my head. "I didn't murder you!"

She smirks. "Denying something doesn't stop it from being true. That's a lesson I bet you need to learn and apply to a lot of different things."

"Shut up!" I cry, sinking to the ground. "That wasn't me!"

"Whatever you say..." It's not sincere at all. She's mocking me.

I turn to her, furious and guilty tears pouring out of my eyes. "Now that you're dying, will you tell me how to get out of here?" I want to know if she's changing her answer.

"Now why would I do that? I have no reason to." She looks smug. "I should take it to my grave and make you look for someone else who knows."

"But you said there was no way out!" Now I'm really upset. "What is it?"

She shakes her head at me. "I just told you, I have no reason to tell you."

"Your death is obviously taking a long time. If it isn't painful enough to not hide the pain yet, it will be soon. I can make it a lot quicker if you tell me how to get out." Will this even appeal to her at all? It is sick and twisted logic, so it should. If she possesses any sort of logic, that is.

She raises an eyebrow. "The way out is simple."

"I doubt that." I mutter, although I do kind of just want her to spit it out. If this ends out like one of those horribly inconvenient movie moments where they die right before saying the important information, I will be angry beyond belief. I try to ignore the fact that that means I want her to die.

"I think I succeeded in breaking you." Annalora whispers, and I barely catch it.

I'm horrified that she thinks that, and hoping that she'll not have actually said that, ask, "What?"

"You see, Mina, the way out...is dying." She looks me square in the eye as she says it and ignores my question, looking dead serious. My horror grows. "I don't mind dying because it means I get out."

"But Teague said-" I begin to protest. That doesn't line up.

She raises an eyebrow. "Has Teague proven to be that honest of a person, or someone you should trust?"

"Fae can't lie!" I argue.

I realize as she speaks that she's right in what she says next. "Well, one of us did if this doesn't line up with what he said. Not to mention I said there was no way out previously. So I guess the question is...Who is right?"

I stare at her, and somethings hits me. Teague wants to hurt me and my family. He wants me to suffer for something I didn't even do. But if I die, that would mean the suffering of this phase of the curse - and hopefully the last of my suffering - would be over. He kept saving my life, but was that really so that I wouldn't fail? Or was it to keep me from succeeding? There's only one way to find out.

I plunge the dagger into my stomach, and the instant I do I know I've messed up based on one fact I forgot. There are dead Grimm girls in here. How is that explained? Oh gosh, she tricked me. I'm going to die and fail.

Annalora begins to grin wickedly and chuckle like a mad woman. "You thought you escaped, but I'm still taking you with me anyways." She chokes a little. She's going to die soon., but I doubt she will stop tormenting me until then "Keeping that knife in the wound won't save you for too long, Grimm."

I cry out in pain. Oh gosh, what have I done? Why would I believe her? Yet, if death isn't the way out, there doesn't seem to be one. There's no hope. No hope at all.

* * *

 **Oh man. Mina managed to save her own life, yet she fell for Annalora's trick (or do you guys think it might not be a trick?). No! What's going to happen? In this chapter, Mina was forced to murder Pri. What did you guys think about that? Did you guys like seeing Pri? Do you feel Mina made the right choice to not murder her? What about Templestiltskin? Did you expect him and Pri to die, and were you expecting him to be around in that position? Were you expecting Annalora to buy Mina's reason for not killing Temple, and kill him herself? Did you expect Mina to stop Annalora's first attempt to kill her, and then land the fatal wound on the gnome? Who was that voice she heard? Did you guys believe Annalora? Did you never? Do you still? What do you think will happen next? Will Teague arrive in time if at all to save her? Will Mina somehow save herself? Will she actually die? So many questions! Let me know in a review any reactions you had, and if you want answer any questions I asked, please do!**

 **I do have an intended sequel for this story. At the moment, it'll probably be called "Simple Bronze Key." That will possibly change, and I don't know how soon after this one it'll be published. Hopefully it won't take as long as Unfairest (which may be arriving soon!) has taken. What occurs in that one is a surprise! It'll pick up after the end of this one (which is getting closer and closer). c:**

 **See you next time! Thank you so much for sticking with me on this rather long story. xD It is my longest yet!**

 **~ Dagger**


	24. Chapter 23 - Stranger Things Have

**Chapter Twenty Three - Stranger Things Have Happened  
**

 **Woops. I'm gonna be a bad girl and just roll with writing the idea of writing the last chapter (yes, I have changed my mind and this is now the last chapter of the story till the sequel :O). I'm super inspired and I'm really excited to finish this story - it's much longer than I ever imagined it would be words wise - so I'm just gonna be super nice and see about doing it now. :p You're welcome! cx  
**

 **This stupid chapter got some of it deleted (less than I thought, thankfully) so it would've been out sooner if it weren't for that. :/ I feel like Fanfiction really needs to make it so if there is a conection failure when you try and save, you won't lose what you wrote. I wanted to cry. Originally I thought I lost like a half an hour's to an hour's worth of writing, so I'm glad I didn't lose _that_ much. But I still would've had this up yesterday if it weren't for that.  
**

 **Evx : Aw, poor Templestiltskin is so hated. It's not like he was _evil_ or anything, right? Just kidding. I like the fact that you started your review off on that note. xD And hm, whether or not we get a Savannah death will be up in the air. We'll just have to see. I'm glad you feel bad - because that was a bit of the intention - that Pri died though. I never hated her either, although I never _liked_ her. Whether or not what you ant to have happen happens will just have to be seen. I promise we'll get some climactic and shocking stuff coming though!**

 **Mikkey234 : I'm glad it was a gripping chapter! :D I'm glad you had faith in Mina and didn't think that she would murder Templestiltskin and Pri out of spite, although I don't doubt that it could be guessed that Annalora would have them die one way or another. I'm glad you think Mina made the right choice! We'll have to see whether or not she did. Although I agree, forgiving Pri probably will be helping in her favor. cx Whether or not Teague will be the one to save Mina is still to be seen, but we can keep our fingers crossed! Since she's literally dying this time, I think she needs saving more than ever. Although, if Teague weren't to save her, what would happen? That's the real question. I'm glad it was another amazing chapter as well!**

 **Guest 1 : I'm glad that everyone agrees she made some stupid decisions, like when she said Jared's name in the tower to Teague. That was probably one of the worst. Thankfully she didn't make as many stupid mistakes as the Uglies protagonist - Tally Youngblood (I believe that is her last name) - because I actually can't even reread that series (I really like it) due to the mistakes Tally made. Whether Teague bursts in or not and whether or not he makes it in time is up in the air. I suppose we'll just have to find out! As for why Mina believed Annalora, you have to recognize that firstly, Teague has tricked her before. Not to mention she just had a fight with him and is still angry with how he was acting. She's also desperate at this point to find a way out of the Grimorie, because she wants to end the curse already. It was a stupid decision, but it isn't like it's impossible to have been made. Sorry this update wasn't sooner! I'm glad I made up for killing those people by killing Annalora. c: You're welcome!  
**

 **Now, let's get on with the (last) chapter. We're going to be introduced to a new character, and I'm excited to see what the reaction to them is.  
**

* * *

 _"You see, Mina, the way out...is dying." She looks me square in the eye as she says it and ignores my question, looking dead serious. My horror grows. "I don't mind dying because it means I get out."_

 _"But Teague said-" I begin to protest. That doesn't line up._

 _She raises an eyebrow. "Has Teague proven to be that honest of a person, or someone you should trust?"_

 _"Fae can't lie!" I argue._

 _I realize as she speaks that she's right in what she says next. "Well, one of us did if this doesn't line up with what he said. Not to mention I said there was no way out previously. So I guess the question is...Who is right?"_

 _I stare at her, and somethings hits me. Teague wants to hurt me and my family. He wants me to suffer for something I didn't even do. But if I die, that would mean the suffering of this phase of the curse - and hopefully the last of my suffering - would be over. He kept saving my life, but was that really so that I wouldn't fail? Or was it to keep me from succeeding? There's only one way to find out._

 _I plunge the dagger into my stomach, and the instant I do I know I've messed up based on one fact I forgot. There are dead Grimm girls in here. How is that explained? Oh gosh, she tricked me. I'm going to die and fail._

 _Annalora begins to grin wickedly and chuckle like a mad woman. "You thought you escaped, but I'm still taking you with me anyways." She chokes a little. She's going to die soon., but I doubt she will stop tormenting me until then "Keeping that knife in the wound won't save you for too long, Grimm."_

 _I cry out in pain. Oh gosh, what have I done? Why would I believe her? Yet, if death isn't the way out, there doesn't seem to be one. There's no hope. No hope at all._

* * *

 _Mina's Point of View_

* * *

It hurts. Oh gosh, it hurts! Every breathe I take causes another wave of pain to wash over me as I try not to move. Moving makes me feel even more pain as my stomach bleeds. I still haven't removed the dagger, as I know that will only speed up my death process. But oh gosh, it hurts and I don't understand how anything can hurt as much as this does. I suppose that's the thing with death though. In this case, it can't be painless. I try to do the thing Teague did where he waved his hand over my injury and healed it, but it doesn't work. Either I can't do that neat, little trick, or it doesn't work on fatal wounds. Annalora chuckles at my suffering, but the chuckling quickly turns into choking. She may be proud that she's going to be the reason I die, but she's going to die before me. At least I won't have to die dealing with her reveling in my suffering.

Why on earth couldn't I have had some sense or luck for once and believed Teague? Speaking of which, where on the plane is he? I said some things I regret back there, but I didn't expect him to actually listen to me. He never seems to. If he does now, I'll hate him till my last dying breathe, which won't take too long. I guess I'll have to hate him past then as well. Seriously Teague, for once, I'm asking that you _please_ don't listen to me.

"Is it fun?" Annalora whispers. "Knowing that you are going to die soon, and there's nothing you can do to stop it?"

I grunt, but before I can actually respond, someone else does. "You're calling that a little bit early, aren't you, Goldmine?"

For one moment, I think that it's Teague, here to save me like I was hoping and praying. I thought for a moment he'd listened to me by _not_ listening to me. However, I quickly crush my own hope, because the voice is all wrong. It's feminine, not masculine, and even though I can identify it, I have no idea from where because no where in my recent memories do I recognize this voice. I've never heard it outside the Grimorie, to say the least. But Annalora certainly knows it. Her eyes seem to bulge out of her head, and she gasps in shock, although that morphs into a gasp of pain. Death is obviously close for her. The question is, is it close for me as well? Who is this person, and what do they mean?

"Impossible." Annalora chokes out, looking horrified. "You're dead. I forced that information out of Ferah before I murdered her. She watched you die!"

The other girl responds, "That doesn't mean I'm not here." She actually sounds slightly smug. "I believe you've hurt someone useful though, and I think I need to fix that."

I'm forcing myself not to try to turn and see whoever it is back there as they and Annalora talk. I will not injure myself any further and make myself deal with any more pain. Because this is honestly an awful experience and I don't need any more pain.

"Always interfering!" Hisses the gnome. "She killed herself. It's not like I stabbed her."

"You practically did, seeing as your _lying_ is the reason this occurred to begin with. Unless of course I'm wrong?" The tone of her voice tells me she knows exactly what transpired and is trying to see what Annalora did.

"Let fate do its thing." Is Annalora's response. "She's obviously meant to die."

I hear footsteps as whoever has been speaking comes up directly behind me. Every single time I've been strangled - or someone has tried to strangle me - comes to mind, and I panic for a moment. Is she going to strangle me too?

"I'm assuming it hurts to move, correct?" Is she asking Annalora or me?

Before I can figure it out - and respond if it was meant for me - the gnome says, "Of course it hurts! She stabbed me."

The girl slides the comments aside by saying, "I don't care about you. I was asking Wilhelmina here."

"Yes, it hurts to move." Gosh, it hurts more than she knows. If she's going to help heal me, can she hurry? With my luck, I'll probably end up dead before she manages to do anything to actually help.

"Obviously." I now see the pain showing on Annalora's face as she says the word.

And then suddenly, she drops down, dead. A knife sticks out of her back, different than the one I have in my hand, and I gasp. The girl who's been talking mutters, "I've been wanting to do that for the longest time. Now I finally got a chance to where I can justify it."

That sounds a bit messed up. "Can you please come out where I can see you?" This whole set up makes me uncomfortable, especially since she just murdered Annalora right in front of me. I don't say that to _her_ though.

"Not yet. We need to discuss something first." A sort of silky tone slips into her voice, one that I recognize my mother using sometimes on the phone. A spoken Lure, which is either hard to master or I just am really bad it. Too bad for her though. I'm a siren, which gives me immunity, I guess.

I shake my head. "I'm _dying_ , yet you want to discuss something? I'm not discussing anything till you heal me!" The anger makes me take a deep breathe, and I let out a pained noise right after.

"And I'm not healing you till we have this discussion and you answer a question for me correctly." Oh crap. What have I gotten myself into now? "We're just going around in circles, so unless you'd like to die, I suggest you talk to me."

"You're going to try and make a deal with me, aren't you?" I ask. It has all the signs of it. "And if I don't tell you yes, you'll leave me for dead because you technically aren't the one who killed me."

I can almost hear the shrug in her voice. "I honestly don't care whether I murder you or not at this point. Without my help, you'll die."

"No deal I've ever made in here has ended well for me." I argue. "Actually, pretty much every single person I've met in here either isn't there to help me, is dead, or ditches me. Tell me why I should trust you."

"Let's see. You met Ever in here first, correct? She used to be a better Fae, if you can believe that. Of course, she felt betrayed over the whole 'Willa Grimm' situation, and became a rather nasty Godmother to deal with. If I am correct, you're the one who killed her." She pauses, but I say nothing. "She just wanted to murder you. Then, of course, you ran in to Nix. He wanted to be friends, however, he's dead. You met Claire and her pack of wolves, who captured you and took you just to sell you to Templestiltskin. Scylla and Charybdis wanted you for food. Teague only wants you to make you suffer. If you think he's around for any other reason, think again." She speaks as if she knows from personal experience. Who _is_ this girl? "Templestiltskin wanted you firstly as leverage and I suppose something to mess with, and then as an escape. Savannah just wanted to make you suffer even more than you already did. The centaurs only wanted you so that they could ensure they didn't suffer Savannah's wrath. Ferah was already dead, so I doubt she wanted anything from you." She sounds pleased to state the fact that Ferah is dead. Why? "Sadistic Annalora only wanted you to kill you in order to get what she feels is revenge. Pri only wanted you to forgive her so that she wouldn't feel guilty and so that you might save her life. And I want you to accept my deal, so that I can finally do something that I should've done long ago."

"Who _are_ you?" I demand, trying to ignore my pain. "Why won't you tell me? And what do you mean, 'so that you can finally do something that you should've done long ago?'"

"I doubt you'll believe me." She's literally just trying to dodge the question.

"I don't care whether or not I'll believe you. I just want an answer!" I snap the words. Gah, it hurts!

She sighs. "You're quite difficult. Fine. I'm Willa Grimm."

And suddenly, it all lines up. Annalora's exclamation of how it's impossible, and that this girl is dead, is because she actually is. She sacrificed herself for Teague. Ferah watched this girl die, and the information was forced out of her by Annalora; Ferah exposed Willa and was there when she saved Teague's life by dying. The quickness of killing Annalora and the fact that there was no regret is explained as well. After all, Willa worked with the Godmothers, a group intending to assassinate Teague. If I remember Jared's - er, Teague in the form of Jared's - story correctly, Willa was one of the three sent to assassinate Teague, so it makes sense that she would be skilled. Her comment of 'now she had a reason to justify it' lines up to, if she's an assassin. Willa was a siren, so the whole 'trying to use her Lure on me' thing makes sense as well. Her comments on Ever make sense, as she definitely would've known the pixie. Ever said they used to be best friends, after all, but I guess it makes sense she felt betrayed and went all super awful. I'm not sure from the way Willa said if she's angry for me killing her old best friend or not. Her comments on Teague don't make sense though. She loved that prince enough to die instead of him, so why would she say stuff like that? When she seemed pleased Ferah was dead, it was probably because Ferah was the one to expose the plot to Teague and is the reason Teague had to be saved. And her comment on Annalora also lines up.

But what is that she wants to do that she should've done a long time ago? What is the deal she wants to make? And why won't she let me see her?

"You are literally telling me _nothing._ " I practically spit the words, pain welling up again. "I don't even care who you are at this point." I actually do, but I really just want her to save my life right now before I die. That is why she said she was here, right? At least, I assume that's what she meant. "Just please tell me what this stupid deal you want to make is so that you can do whatever stupid thing you wanted to do a while ago so you can save my stupid life from the stupid decision I made. And while you're at it, it'd be great if I could see you."

"Quite the long order." Is she seriously cracking a joke right now?

I growl back, "Stop trying to be funny and please just do it! I am dying!"

"You're Fae, you'll survive longer than an average human." She practically shrugs it off, but I think I'm about to start crying from pain. I'm about to yell at her about just how much pain I'm in, but she starts talking again. "Basically, I want you to allow me in your head. I want to be able to give you advice and, essentially, help...guide you in some of your actions." What is _that_ supposed to mean? "If you agree to that, I'll heal you."

"I don't want you in my head." I groan, resisting the urge to grab my stomach.

She scoffs. "It's either that, or you die."

She walks around into my line of vision, and I see she's flickering in and out of sight. She's definitely not solid; I bet I could walk right through her if I could walk. I now understand why Annalora said we looked similar. The only difference is she has no gold in her hair and no gold in her eyes. She's much plainer in looks, but that's not really a bad thing. She looks to be a bit older than me, but she's definitely much older as she's had to have been dead for a long time. She's dressed in a black, short, ruffled dress with straps, and she's barefoot. As she looks at me, long hair draping down her back to her waist and hair in her eyes, I can't help but think she doesn't _look_ like an assassin to me. However, her actions and words have proved she is. Talk about hiding in plain sight. Then again, Ever did the same thing, so I guess either I'm really bad at finding assassins or Godmothers are super skilled. I'd like to assume the latter.

"I don't want a dead person possessing me." I shake my head. "It's much better to die than to lose control and just be a shell."

She shakes her head. "It's not possession, idiot." Geez, she's insulting me? How does she expect that to convince me to agree to this messed up deal. "It's like having a conscience in the back of your head along with your actual conscience."

"An assassin conscience?" I scoff at the notion.

She actually seems to be losing her temper. "The deal is going to expire soon."

I blink, confused. Doesn't she need me? Why would she threaten me with expiring the deal? "Excuse me?"

She doesn't answer my question. Instead, she begins to count down. "3...2..."

I can't refuse, and Willa knows it. If I do, I'll die, and have to deal with my dad's death. I can't do that. I didn't kill him. I can't be the reason my father is dead. And so, I hurriedly say, "Alright, alright! I'll do it!"

"Oh good, because technically speaking, I'm already in your head." I'm surprised by this, but before I can ask, she rips the dagger out of my stomach, causing more blood to spill out.

I scream, partly from shock and partly from the pain of moving, and then she waves a hand over me. Slowly, the wound heals, but the pain is still there. Ah, it hurts! It's dulled a little though, so that's good. Then, she reaches forward, tapping the necklace I still have on that was put there by Savannah. It falls off on contact, and I stare in shock. How did she do that? That shouldn't even be possible. And then, she reaches forward and taps my head, disappearing.

I hear her voice one last time, but now it's echoing in my head and not spoken out loud. _I'm right here. Don't worry._

I'm not worried about that. I have a feeling I should be worried by the fact that she is still there. I recognize the voice. It was in one of my later dreams, one of the ones warning me further about what was going to occur with Savannah. It was her and a bunch of other Grimm girls - I'm betting they're Grimms, at least - and she said I was getting closer. Was she waiting for this opportunity? And I heard her voice earlier, before I attacked Annalora. Was that what she meant by already being in my head? I know I didn't feel like that was me acting. Was it? Or did she lie? Can she actually control me?

I force myself to sit up, groaning in pain, and that's when I hear the voice that I wish I'd heard earlier. "Oh my gosh, Mina, are you okay?"

Instead of simply turning, I try to stand up, but I nearly fall over in the process from the pain. Teague catches and stabilizes me, and I look up in his blue eyes. In that moment, I have the thought that I should not tell him anything about what occurred. I have to lie. It's the only way. For some reason, I don't think letting him know about Willa is smart when I have so little knowledge. Maybe I can tell him when I know more, but right now it's just not safe. Not for me, and certainly not for anyone else. I just hope Willa won't make things _unsafe_ as I try to figure out how to make things safe. He's a little late in saving me, although I'm still relieved to see him. It's not that I'm not angry with him anymore. I am still quite angry. However, right now, I'm shoving that aside because I'm more likely to spill the Willa stuff if I'm still mad. Not to mention maybe Teague will finally get me out of here, although perhaps I should doubt that.

"Have I ever been okay when you ask me that?" I groan, holding my stomach which still hurts.

"Right. Sorry. Stop asking stupid questions I know the answer to." He hasn't made any move to let go of me yet. That's probably because he recognizes the fact that I actually can't support myself. "What happened here?"

And now we're at the part where I decide between lying or telling the truth. I can feel Willa's presence in my head - although I can't see her anywhere - and I can only hope that she doesn't make an appearance as I begin to tell the lie - which has some elements of truth in it - to Teague. "I...I don't really know. After we fought, I fled. That's when I heard this voice, and after I followed it, I learned that the voice was Annalora. She attacked me, and knocked me out. When I came to, I found out that Ferah was dead," Teague stiffens slightly at the mention of the elf, "and that Pri and Templestiltskin were too. I just...I just can't shake the feeling that I killed one of them!"

I burst into tears, and Teague says as soothingly as he can, "I'm sure none of them died because of you." If only he knew the truth. What would he think? "Can you tell me what happened next?"

"Well...Annalora came at me. She wanted to stab me, to kill me, and I couldn't move because of some whistle she had. I used my Lure, and had her break the whistle and stop attacking me. And then...And then..." My voice quakes as I continue to sob the story out. "Oh gosh, Teague, I stabbed her! I didn't mean to. I wasn't trying to kill anyone!"

"Calm down, Mina." He sounds slightly shaken by this account. "Do you know what happened next?"

"Well..." I sniff, trying to gain my composure. If I stop crying, I can lie better. I'm at risk of slipping up right now, "I remember her telling me that in order to get out, I had to die. And I was so desperate to get out of this stupid curse that I tried it. That's when she started laughing, and telling me that she lied. I blacked out from the pain. When I woke up, there was another dagger sticking out of her back. A different one than the one I used. I'm sure she's dead, but I don't know why I'm not dead or why the wounds not still here." Of course, I do. All these black outs never occurred. I can only hope that Teague doesn't realize how much of my story is altered from what really happened. Willa's presence is still there, and I don't like it at all. Please please please, just let her stay away. Please. "The dagger I stabbed myself with is gone along with the wound, but it still hurts. Not to mention my necklaces are gone."

Teague pauses, taking it all in. "So from what it sounds like, whoever healed you - _if_ someone healed you and you didn't do it yourself accidentally when you were knocked out, which does seem highly likely compared to the other option I just suggested - killed Annalora off. I just don't know who did it. I didn't even realize her or Ferah were _in_ here."

This catches me off guard. "You never saved any Grimm girls from her before?"

He actually looks guilty. "No. I've always been too late and come to see them dead - I never saw her, although it makes sense - or saved them three times before. Once I save someone three times, I don't save them anymore. It's the rules of the curse."

"Teague, I just want out of here. I want to go-" I stop myself. I can't say 'home.' I don't have one. That alone brings me back to the waterworks, because even if I get out of this curse, where do I go?

He pulls me a hug, probably in order to try and calm me down. I bury my face into his chest as he soothingly says, "It's alright, Mina. You did it. I'm going to get you out of here."

"What?" I'm not sure if I believe my ears. It's too good to be true. "You are?"

"Yes." He keeps hugging me as I begin to calm down ever so slightly. The thought that I might get out of here seems too good to be true. "You got past this part of the curse."

It definitely was too good to be true. "This part?"

"Ya." He has the decency to at least _sound_ guilty. "This isn't the last part of the curse."

"It isn't?" Oh gosh, why? Why is this the case? If I weren't running out of tears, I think I'd start to cry even harder.

Teague takes a deep breathe. "Let's not think of that right now. Let's celebrate the fact that you survived, and get you situated and calmed down before we discuss this second stage. You get a bit of a break after this torture."

We stand there in silence for a minute, and when I look past his shoulder, I catch a glimpse of Willa, and I hear her in my head saying, _I'm biding my time, Wilhelmina._

"Let's get you out of here." Teague says.

* * *

 **Wow, guys. That was our final chapter of this story. Can you believe it's finished? I can't. o.o I know I originally said there would be two more chapters, however I was unable to write that one and I feel it'll just be easier to do a Teague perspective in the sequel (as that was what I was trying to do). I know I said I'd do one in this story, and for that I'm sorry. However it'll probably fit better in the sequel. My apologies if you got your hopes up this chapter! :c However, what did you guys think of it? Was it good? Bad? Intense? What did you think of Willa? Did you realize who it was going to be? What did you expect Willa to be like when you first heard of her? Did she match that? What do you think of Willa's assessment of Mina's situation and the deal? Should Mina have made it? What did you think of Teague's arrival? Was Mina right to have lied to him? What do you think about the fact that there's more tot he curse? What do you think Willa wants to do? Let me know this and anything else in a review.  
**

 **I know I normally let you guys help decide what story I'll be doing after this one, however this time I already have one in mind that I'm really excited to do (and that will be much happier and possibly even contain some of my ocs from other stories). Hopefully you guys will pop in for that one, or keep an eye out for when I do the sequel to this one! I know I said this last chapter, but as a reminder, the sequel will be called "Simple Bronze Key."  
**

 **~ Dagger**


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